To See What I Have Seen
by RainerNight
Summary: “To see what I have seen, see what I see…” The words flowed like honey from his lips, and in as brief of a breath, he was gone. The bell above the Record store’s door chimed and Bella saw the flash of bronze fly past. “He’s a Cullen, Bella, you can't..."
1. Scene One

**TO SEE WHAT I HAVE SEEN**  
**  
SUMMARY:** "To see what I have seen, see what I see…" The words flowed like honey from his lips, and in just as brief of a breath, he was gone. The bell above the Record store's door chimed and Bella saw the flash of bronze fly past the window. "He's a Cullen, Bella. You can never…"

**RATING:** NC-17

_a/n: holy shit, im branching into twific. wtf?_

_this story has been mulling around in my head for a LONG time now. and i finally got around to putting it to paper. a few things i should let you know before reading. the title of the story is from shakespares hamlet. I am a HUGE Shakespeare fan so the idea for this story is to take bits and pieces of Mr. WS and realign them with the story. I will not point out which parts are from which plays but if you are up to date on your Shakespeare bits you might be able to guess._

_And before I back out and cancel the story here is chapter 1. _

**Disclaimer: All things twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. All things Shakespearean belong to William Shakespeare. All things fictional belong to RainerNight.**

**TO SEE WHAT I HAVE SEEN  
SCENE 1**

_That I see the light surrounding you  
So don't be afraid of something new  
'Cause I see the light surrounding you  
So don't be afraid of what you're turning into._

_Light Surrounding You : Evermore_

Port Angeles had only ever had one record store. It wasn't exactly a largely populated little area so it had always been assumed that the residents of the small town would always be able to find exactly what they needed at Birds & Bee's, and if we didn't have it, we could easily have it shipped in. Our prices weren't through the roof and we didn't tack on a handling fee even when we did have them shipped. We were a town gem. Everyone knew about us, and we could amply name almost every single one of our customers. We were friendly, helpful and we enjoyed our jobs.

I love my Job, and I'll admit to it. I, Bella Swan, do solemnly swear that I wholeheartedly enjoy my job. I'm lucky to have a job altogether. Fork's isn't exactly thriving with job opportunities and Port Angeles, although slightly bigger, isn't much better. And for a College student like me, I could use all the cash I could get. Not that I had a million hobbies that cost me a small fortune, or an avid social calendar that required I have a crap load of cash but I was in my first year and although a scholarship had gotten me there, I had to survive while I studied, and food wasn't going to pay for itself.

So this particular day on my drive from where I lived in Forks, I was less than pleased to find what was going to be my latest headache. I immediately pulled my cell phone from my purse, dialing Angela's number. She answered on the third ring and began to jabber on about how she wasn't late yet so I had no reason to call her so soon , and to remind me that it was a Saturday so I technically wasn't meant to start until noon.

I ignored her babbling and gazed out my windscreen. "Angela, I don't care," I snapped and she immediately fell silent. "Get over to the north end of Main Street. We have a problem." I hung up and swallowed, slipping out of the driver's seat of my Red Chevy truck -my rusted pride & joy. "Good god," I cringed staring up at the store front.

Angela worked with me at the store and was also one of my dearest friends. The sweetest girl you'd ever meet, smart too. There were 5 things I knew Angela loved. Ben, her boyfriend, her family, her dog, her god, and her music. Her father was the minister at the church back in forks so it was ingrained in her. And although the rest of us at Bird's & Bee's didn't exactly share her godly sentiments we respected her views. And she never once judged us when we'd waltz into work on a Sunday morning, hung-over as sin, throwing up in the work bathroom, dissing the last fool we'd fallen into bed with after 3 minutes of conversation. She was a saint.

I heard the sound of a car door slam and then footsteps running towards me. "Oh no," I heard Angela's gentle gasp from beside me and I noticed her in my peripherals. She was wearing a pale pink t-shirt and light blue jeans and the only pair of shoes I'm sure she owned, a pair of black Mary Jane flats. "Has Jane seen this?" She asked and I felt myself openly guffaw. "I'll take that as a no." She tacked on, her tone reflecting the same disbelief that I was.

"Crest Records? Really?" I had been repeating the same words all the way from the north end of Main Street. We were now on the south end and I was unlocking the store. Angela was poised and silent behind me as she thought with her index finger to her lips. "Isn't it some sort of fucking chain store or something?" I pushed the door open and glared up at the gate as it threatened to fall back down for what would be the 4th time this week and try and knock me out. "You, stay the fuck away." I pointed at the rusted metal. It must've sensed my hostility because after one tiny squeak it froze and I managed to shove a bit of card under it so it wouldn't fall on a customer and force us to fork out a large sum of money to the poor bastard.

"I think there's a few around the Washington area, yeah. Ben said he saw one in Seattle when he went. He said they have a section in the store where you can make your own playlist's for your iPod's on these cool screens they have." Her eyes lit up as she told me. I threw my satchel onto the counter and turned to her.

"They have iTunes on computer screens in their store?" I cocked an eyebrow at her, questioning the store's motives for having something that they saw as a novelty, that I could do right now if I pulled out my Macbook and opened iTunes. "Do people pay to use it?"

She shrugged. "Ben mentioned something about store credit and you get, like, a card or something. I'm not really sure." She smiled happily at me and jogged off towards the staff room at the back of the store and I shook my head as I headed to my spot behind the counter. I started up the register and the worlds slowest computer that Jane insisted was just waiting to come back to life, when in reality it was close to wiping the entire store's sale and inventory records before it was about to jump up and start tap dancing, but that was Jane, always the optimist.

Aunt Jane had bought the store when she moved here from Italy about ten years ago. Yup, that's right, AUNT Jane. My father's kooky, black sheep, sister. Jane Swan had this amazing long, ridiculously long, butt length rusty blonde hair that she always wore out or in pigtails. She was what you would deem a hippy of sorts, all flower power and good vibes. She was in her mid thirties now and still clung to the same mantra that she always had. "The only thing you'll ever need in this life, Bella, and feel free to write this down," She's said to me when I first came here for an interview when I was only 15. "...is music. Men will come, go and screw you over more times than you can count. Some of them will screw you till your head spins round but most of them will just screw you over. The only thing a girl can rely on is music," I even remember her cradling a Beatles record to her chest as she continued. "...I'll always rely on old Lenny though." Jane had lovingly licked John's face on the cover before offering me a job. I'll never forget what she'd said though. And it turns out she was right. About men I mean.

But that's another story...

Angela bought the cash tray from the vault and I shoved it into the register before I pulled out my Macbook. Angela started restocking the shelves when the door chime rang out and I heard one voice I could never tire of hearing.

"What the fuck is the deal with the Crest store?"The storm that just walked into the store would be none other than Rosalie Hale- the storm, with long blond angel curls and the looks of a runway model...with body piercings. Several body piercings, although the only ones you could see in broad daylight were her nose, and ears, and occasionally her tongue, depending on whether she was yelling or not.

"I see you've seen the town's latest gift." I smiled at her as she headed towards me, throwing her Skelanimal's backpack onto the counter, her hands resting on her hips.

"Are you fucking kidding me!? A Crest cult!? The last thing this town fucking needs is another corporate store coming into our fucking town swinging their fucking dicks around like they own the place. This town is too oppressive already to have those assholes shove their ideals and their mainstream fucking melodies down our throats at prices that'll leave us hungry for a week." She blew a strand of gold out of her eye and glared up at me.

"I know dear, you're preaching to the choir I'm afraid." I reached over the counter to pat her shoulder calmly. "Although I love the boots darling, they look wonderful on you." I smiled, complimenting her new knee high black combat boots. She'd been going on about them for weeks. A smile crept to her lips for a moment and she tugged on her leather mini-skirt, and adjusted her off the shoulder black and white striped top before her smiled faded, replaced by the usual scowl.

"I'm still mad." She grabbed the store records off the counter and stormed off through the store to the office at the back. I couldn't help but smile. She was a force to be reckoned with, that's for sure.

"Wait, Sadist Barbie, where's your brother!?" I called to her retreating figure before she got too far. She lifted her middle finger as she continued to walk.

"He's at the fucking coffee shop! And fuck you!" She disappeared into the office to hit the books before she slammed the door behind her with enough force to earn a yelp from Angela who was on the opposite side of the store.

I laughed at her anger and noted the tally on the small black board behind the counter, chalking another point under my name. I stepped back, reading over the progress.  
**  
BELLA vs BARBIE**

I had 6 parks, Rosalie a.k.a Barbie had 9. She was still winning. I picked it my thumb nail with the teeth when I heard the door chime again. I smiled at the friendly face that'd just walked through the door. "You don't start till noon, and I know this because I did the roster." Jasper smirked at me, lifting the bag of what I guessed were breakfast muffins and the carry tray of 4 hot coffee's.

I smiled at him. "Then why are there 4 coffee's instead of 3 if you weren't expecting me, unless Angela's shocked us all and decided to take on a vice without any of us knowing?" Jasper and I turned to Angela who looked up from the shelves, pushing her glasses up her nose. She shook her head and I smirked even further. "Thanks for the coffee Jazz." I stood, pulling my cup from the holder as I leaned over the counter, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

He pursed his lips and shook his head at me. "You should be at home, sleeping, like normal people do." He pulled a muffin out of the bag for me and left it on the counter before he started towards the back of the store. "And I knew you'd be here!" He laughed.

"Why's that!?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Because you never leave!" He, Angela and even Rosalie shouted back. I mouthed it. I was so predictable. This store was my life. I loved the people in it, I loved the people who love it, and I loved the music within it. Speaking of music...

"Alright gang, who went yesterday!?" I asked aloud, knowing everyone would hear me.

"It was Jazz yesterday. If I have to listen to another Otis fucking Redding track I'm going to hang myself from the fucking flag pole at school!" Rosalie shouted from the office, cracking the door open ever so gently. I don't think we were mean to notice.

Jasper came out of the staff room and took Rose her coffee. "Don't be so cliché sis, you can do so much better than a hanging." She kissed the top of her head which earned him a growl and laughed, leaving a muffin on the desk in front of her before he headed back out to help Angela with re-stocking.

Jasper is Rosalie's twin brother. The only thing they had in common was the blond hair, the rest, was all at god's hand. Jazz is a vinyl collector with a love of all things old and kitsch. He wore novelty sweaters in the middle of the year and must've owned at least 4 pairs of Doc Martens, all fluro colored. He quoted Che Guevara and could tell you any trivia from the 60's you'd ever need to know. He had a strange fascination with war and all the music the era's provided and owned more pairs of suspenders than any man should. But he was gorgeous, and complete and total win.

These people weren't just my co-workers, they were my friends...no, scratch that, they were my family. I loved them for their differences and admired them for their freedom, their compassion and their individuality. I on the other hand, Bella, little old Bella, was just waiting for something to entice me. Waiting for something to wake me up and push me head first into the unknown. I'd led a vanilla life so far, the only exciting thing I'd done was step foot into this store as a fresh faced 15 year old. Jane scared the crap out of me the first time I'd walked in the door, hearing the chime above the door.

But I would never admit it to her.

I looked around at my friends, noticing Rose had come out of the office and was now yelling at Jazz about the books and why they were apparently missing a Rolling Stone's vinyl but were for some reason also missing the $379 the record was meant to sell for. I smiled at the scene. Rosalie was so tenacious, fire with the body of an Amazon, the mind of a scholar and the heart of a lioness. Jasper, his quick wit and tactful mind, argued with his sister, all guns blazing. And Angela, dear sweet Angela, watching closely with an amused grin on her face, patiently waiting for Jazz to hand her the pile of CD's in her hand, not once batting an eyelash at the colorful array of words the twins were using.

They all had such strong characters, all backed up by their vibrant colors and strengths. I often wondered what they saw when they saw me. I glanced down at my baby blue Ninja turtles t-shirt and my dark brown straight leg jeans and cringed, pulling my grey cardigan further around my body. I pushed my mahogany hair behind my shoulder and gazed out the window.

My breath hitched in my throat as I noticed the figure standing on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. It was a boy. Or a man should I say. A young man. He was tall, slight with wild, erratic, unruly bronze locks. It shone almost copper in the sunlight and was rustled so unruly it looked styled, but quite easily could've been natural. He was too far away to define, but the way he was watching the store, and maybe even watching me was enough to etch him into my memory as the boy with the bronze hair.

I chanced a look at the other's who were all now re-stocking the shelves, singing along to whatever music Rose had decided to put on after I'd heard Jazz nominate her iPod as more of a challenge to better his than out of courtesy or politeness. None of them had noticed the boy across the street. I sighed, and gripped the edge of the counter as I turned my head, and looked through the glass pane once more.

But on my second look, he was gone.

At precisely 2:30PM, Aunt Jane danced through the door, her glass bead necklaces almost out doing the chime of the door as they jangled in, bouncing around her neck. "STORE MEETING UP FRONT!" She sung in her gypsy like manner and sashayed over to the counter. She hoisted herself up to perch on the wooden surface, crossing her legs as she reached into her brightly colored carpet bag and pulled out an envelope.

The others joined us at the counter and we all stared at Jane in suspense. She always came in on a Saturday, it was the only day we ever saw her. And she always showed up at exactly the same time. You could set your watch to her timing.

"Now, it's good to see all you little cherubs," She reached out, rustling Jasper's hair and pinched Angela's cheek which made rose and I snort. I covered my mouth with my hand and let her continue. "But let's get down to business." She opened the end of the envelope and pulled out a photograph, holding it up. I stood up from behind the counter and leaned over it to see better. It was the front of the Cullen Crest store. I cringed immediately. "This friends, is a nuisance."

We all growled, agreed and showed our disdain in different ways, some of our ways used a few harsh words, but we all agreed in one way or another.

"Uh uh uh little ones, we here at Bird's & Bee's do not speak ill of anyone. Especially money hungry bastards who have moved into town with their green logo's, green aprons and their silly dollar sign…I'm getting carried away." Jane took a deep breath and shook her head, the glass beads jingling with her every movement.

"What are we going to do, Jane? Ben's seen these guy's in action. They've completely revamped the record store ideals and turned it into a brand. They've done to music what Starbuck's have done to coffee. They've even taken the color." She added, pointing at the green in the logo. I stifled a laugh at her acknowledgement of such a detail.

"Angela, do not worry your pretty little head. In fact, I want none of my little buzzy bee's to worry at all over this little detail. We here at Birds & Bee's are not affected by flashy ad's and prissy aprons and will not surrender to such money driven chain stores. Do we understand?"

"Yes Jane." We all choired and you could practically see Jane buzz as she jumped off the counter, heading towards the office to leave our paychecks in our lockers and grab the last week's takings from the vault. And as soon as she was there, she was gone again.

"That woman is like a fucking tornado." Rosie lamented, coming behind the counter to sit beside me. "Angela's taking inventory and Jasper's fixing the light bulb in the break room." She informed me as we then heard a smash from the break room, followed by Jazz swearing. "Jasper's breaking the light bulb in the break room." Rosalie corrected.

"I'm already on it!" Angela called as she fluttered into the break room. We both smiled at the laugh we heard from her when she entered. I'm sure it was an entertaining sight to behold. I chuckled and had just reached out to pull a loose thread from Rosalie's curls when the chime sung out and the front door clicked open.

Bronze hair entered the store and my breath caught in my throat. Green eyes wandered the store before they landed on me and I swallowed gently, shifting my hair behind my ear. "Uh, welcome to Bird's & Bee's." I spoke like I did every time someone walked in the door. Green Eyes smiled softly and ran a hand through his untamed mane. "Uh, it's a natural disaster after all." I commented under my breath and noticed Rosalie turn to look at me. I met her eyes only to jump back because of the look she was flashing me. "What?"

She shook her head and pointed at my cheek. "Why the fuck are you blushing Bella?"

I pushed her side and turned back to Green Eyes. He was loitering over my the alternative section and I gestured for Rose to get up and help him. She shook her head and pointed at me then shifted her head to the side to gesture for me to go.

I shook my head profusely. "Well one of us is going and judging by the way you're blushing I'd say it's going to be you. Fucking go!" She whispered harshly and pulled me up from my seat and past her to the end of the counter.

"Rose!" I waved my hand at her, narrowly missing her shoulder and turned to find where my target was now in the store. He was still rifling through the alternative section, his hood up now covering his locks, his head cowered. "I can do this, he's just a boy. I talk to boys every day. Jasper's a boy." I approached him on the other side of the shelving and eyed him over the M-O section. After staring blatantly for several seconds I swallowed, cleared my throat and astonishingly found my voice. "Welcome to Bird's & Bee's, my name's Bella. Can I help you with anything?"

He lifted his head, his eyes wide as he stared at me. He almost looked angry and I averted his gaze, looking down at the CD's in his hands. I smiled at his choices, none of them made any sense. "What are you doing here?" He then asked. I met his eyes again.

"I work here." I replied. Bloody strange question. Strange kid actually. He must've been my age but his demeanor threatened someone a lot younger, naïve, timid. The ferocity in his eyes in no way matched his demeanor, which was also odd.

He put the CD's back on the shelf and came around to my side of the shelves. He was taller than me, towering over my short frame. I immediately took back every thought I'd previously had. This man was no mouse, he was all man. He smelt of cigarette smoke and someone sweet, treacle or maple syrup with a hint of masculine musk. It was pleasant, intoxicating, and I wanted to smell him everywhere. I felt my cheeks immediately flush at my thoughts and bowed my head slightly. Finger's on my chin pulled me back into reality and my chin rose with the digits on my skin. "Why do I feel as if I know you?" He asked. His eyes were focused solely on my face and I felt meek, weak and entranced.

I shook my head, "That's impossible. I would remember you." I squeaked. His face was incomparable, his looks, handsome yet startling, boyish yet masculine, chiseled yet divine. He was otherworldly. Yet here he was, in my world, in my record store, and I'd never seen him before. "Are you new in town?"

He immediately withdrew his fingers and gazed down at me, his lip twitching. "Why do you glow?" He asked, looking at me as he stroked the back of his hand down my cheek. He ran a finger down the bridge of my nose and stopped, hovering above my top lip. He then shifted his hand and pulled a strand of hair between his fingers. This was odd. People don't just touch each other when they're complete strangers. Yet here he was, grazing my skin like he had permission. But it wasn't uncomfortable, it was familiar, but I had absolutely no clue why.

"Who are you?" I breathed out, feeling as if I could fall into his gaze at any moment and drift away. Who was this stranger that had me so encompassed? The same one who had watched the store from across the street and was now in here, a foot away from me, fondling my hair as if it were made of gold.

He reached up with his free hand, and cupped my cheek affectionately. "To see what I have seen, see that I see…" He whispered. The words contrite and sad. Then in just as brief of a breath he was gone. I watched his back move and the chime of the door sound out and the door clicked shut behind him as a streak of bronze hair flew past the store window.

"Who…" I sounded, watching in awe as the boy with the bronze hair disappeared into the Port Angele's streets.

"Bella," I heard Jasper behind me, and then within seconds he was beside me.

"Who was that?" I asked still in a trance. Jasper sighed, full of remorse. I turned to look at him. "You know, who was that?"

Jasper shook his head at me. "Bella, there are some people in this life who are unfortunate enough to be blessed with a family they cannot change."

"What are you talking about Jazz? Who the hell was that?" I was shaking all over. Trembling from the nerves and the adrenaline. Talking to Green Eyes had been a rush. I wanted more. I wanted his excitement.

"Bella…" Jasper bought me back down to earth. "Bella…he's a Cullen." I immediately felt ill. "his name is Edward, he and his family just moved into the old Abbott Mansion in Fork's. He's a Cullen Bella. He's one of them."

I wandered to the window, pressing my palm against the cool glass as I peered out up towards the north end of Main Street. "A Cullen?"

"He's not one of us." Rose chimed, coming to stand behind me, her hand on my shoulder. "You can never…"

"I know!" I turned, leaning back against the glass. "It doesn't matter. Enough standing around, back to work people." I headed back behind the counter, sitting by the register once again and opened my Macbook, opening my latest essay.

He was a Cullen.

And I was a Swan.

This was not good.

**To Be Continued…**

_a/n: my apologies to anyone i annoyed for not spelling Shakespeare properly. it's edited now. i fail at life. and so does my spell check. _

_click review!_

_with love._

_-rain_


	2. Scene Two

_First of all, I have to say that I am completely humbled and completely overwhelmed by the amount of reviews the first chapter received (which, i have been told is quite a lot) and must also admit as to how nervous the feedback has made me. When I wrote that first chapter I didn't think anyone would be interested in it, truthfully, but I am ecstatic and petrified to find that so many of you have been intrigued._

_Second of all, I am incredibly nervous about this second chapter. I have no idea whether you will like it. This is the fourth attempt at chapter 2 so I in no way rushed it. It might confuse you, but then again, what else is new._

_Third of all, I hope you enjoy it, ask questions about it, grow curious from it. That's what it's there for._

_So since im sure none of you are reading this I'll just say a big thank you to my beta Beth (stupid_lamb) for turning the crap I write into something readable and to sweek539 and Qjmom for being awesome._

_And away we go..._

_**Disclaimer: All things twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. All things Shakespearean belong to William Shakespeare. All things fictional belong to RainerNight. **_

**TO SEE WHAT I HAVE SEEN  
SCENE 2**

Edward

_I often thought that you'd be better off left alone  
Why throw a circle round a man with broken bones?  
But darling when I see you, I see me_

_I See You, You See Me: The Magic Number's_

--

I'd never understood why Dad decided to quit medicine to open a record store. I was only 12 when he bought the first one. I'll never forget that small shitty little store just on the outskirts of Seattle. I'd only visited the store a handful of times since mother didn't want us kids to be transferred from our schools in Alaska just because Dad had decided to have a change of heart. I'm pretty sure mom thought Dad had lost his mind when he first came home claiming he'd quit his job at the hospital to open a record store. She didn't speak to him for three days.

Emmett had claimed it was a midlife crisis. We were half expecting him to come home with a small red convertible and a new haircut claiming he was 'seeking other options.' We weren't really sure what to think when we found out about Crest records, but we were on the other hand pleased, seeing as it would be rather embarrassing if it had been the first outcome.

"So this is the place?" Emmett asked as we pulled onto the main street in Port Angeles, eyeing the front facade of what was to be our newest venture. This wasn't the first 'Crest Records' Washington had been bestowed with, but it was going to be the first one run solely by us Cullen's. Emmett, the oldest of us three Cullen siblings had been given the title of store manager, much to his surprise. And ours, if I'm being entirely truthful.

Emmett was a still a child in a lot of ways; still very impressionable, up for anything, and his temperament was still just as uncontrollable. He could snap in a split second if something pushed him the wrong way even in its smallest measurement. But he was my older brother, and in turn, my best friend. He was always there for me, strong and dependable, always ready to crack open a beer and offer me advice that I never asked for. I'd remembered the first time I came to him for girl advice, I must've seemed like a fresh faced 15 year old boy asking him whether the condom went over just the penis or the balls as well (Note to my 15 year old self: The Condom does NOT include the balls) but he took everything in stride, just as he did with life.

He wore his hair dark, short and spiky but there were still a few hairs at the back of his head that managed to curl in complete abandon to the rest. His smile was what always kept him with a gaggle of girls following him around. But he was a lone wolf, entirely content to live life his own way. He was my best friend and I didn't expect that would ever change.

"God, I can't wait to have this place finished, it's going to be fucking sick, man!" He grinned, smacking me on the back a trifle harder than he'd obviously meant since he winced and shrugged playfully at me, before shutting the driver's side and running to unlock the doors.

I wish I had even the slightest hint of his enthusiasm or his charisma. He always seemed to make friends so easily, get into a group anywhere we went while I struggled to say to even one single person. I ran a hand through my hair, sliding my tongue between my lips, catching it on the inside of my labret piercing before I pulled it back through the hole and closed my lips, toying the barbell between my teeth.

"Don't do that, Edward! You'll ruin your teeth!" I felt a swift smack to the back of my head and I lurched around in my seat, glaring at my younger sister with irritation in my normally blank eyes. "Don't look at me like that brother, you know I'm right!" She smiled condescendingly at me and pushed the door open, flicking her legs out as she jumped from the car, slamming it behind her.

She was always right, though. That's just the way Alice was. Smart yes, incredibly so. Sometimes I suspected she was often smarter than Emmett, but where Emmett still kept that personable side, Alice wasn't quite so controlled. Most of the people who met her learned three things very quickly: that she was one: Very smart, two: Very well put together, and three: Very arrogant. She wore only the finest of things, and everything was perfectly in place, right down to her cuticles. She kept her hair long, brown and curled so it fell perfectly with just a flick of a headband. God, did she love those headbands. She was so sure of herself and always so in control of her surroundings. It was amazing we were related because I was the exact opposite of that. She was a lot more like Emmett in that sense. I often wondered how I came out with the short end of the stick.

I sighed, annoyed at my siblings' excitement for new things and exited the car. I headed into the store, looking around at the space. Clearly, it had been expanded because the space we had was obviously once three separate stores. A part of me wondered what might've happened to the people who owned businesses here before my father decided to move into the small town of Port Angeles, which I'd heard already had a record store. I quickly pushed those thoughts to the side, deciding that kind of negativity was probably better left for the future, when I wasn't so fucking confused about everything.

"This place looks like shit." I surveyed, looking around the room. The walls were still covered with a mass of un-matching wallpaper and broken light fixtures. The carpet was half pulled up rather haphazardly and the entire room smelt musty, like a large group of cats had moved into the space. "It smells like shit too."

Emmett shook his head at me, coming to stand by my side. He threw one of his rather large arms over my shoulders and turned his head to speak to me. "Listen to me very closely, little brother. You have a head for music, I have a head for business, and little Alice over there is obviously quite good in the looks department. If we all do our parts, this place will be up to scratch in no time. Dad will see that he can trust us with the business, and we'll reap the rewards in fortunes up to our eyeballs."

I pushed his arm off my shoulder and lifted a finger. "There's just one problem with that scenario, Emmett." Emmett's eyebrow rose in mock competition. I turned rather smugly and marched back to the doors throwing them open. "This is the smallest fucking town that has a Crest Records in it in Washington State alone. Do you honestly think Dad gave us this store to give us a fucking fortune? We'll probably get 5 maybe 6 customers a day, if we're lucky." I let the doors shut behind me. "I'm just saying..."

Alice huffed and stormed over to me, her knee length skirt that probably cost more than my car swayed as she walked. If she wasn't my sister it probably would've been quite alluring, bus alas, she was my sister, and it was gross. "Listen, Edward, this is a huge thing for me. It doesn't just mean we'll only get this store, but Carlisle wants to retire soon, which means he'll need us to take over the business. I know you're far too serious for this with your obsession with the written word and some dead guy who wrote some books once upon a time, but this is the real world, Edward. We were born into a world of privilege, and with that comes certain obligations. We owe this to Carlisle to at least try." She placed a hand on my shoulder and gently smiled at me.

I rolled my eyes at her nonsense. "Look, we all don't live on pedestals like some people around here, okay Alice? This has nothing to do with 'Dad' or where my priorities lie, and yes, you can call him that because that's who he is, our 'Dad'. Calling him Carlisle doesn't make you trendier, Alice, and at the end of the day it's the truth. Dad has given us this store to test us and make sure we don't run it into the ground. He isn't going to give us the business when we're still in college because a] he knows we're not up to it yet, and b] because we still have a fuck load of work to do and he would never dream of giving us more than we can handle. This is a test, not the beginning of the rest of our fucking lives, Alice, don't bullshit me."

Alice scowled and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "You're so frickin' pessimistic, Edward." She stormed off to the back of the store, her heels clicking as she went.

"And Shakespeare was known for his sonnets, poetry and play's not fucking storybooks, Alice!" I knew I'd get her with that one. When she flipped me off over her shoulder I had to laugh. Even though she got on my nerves most of the time, we both knew what would push the other one's buttons to the point of insanity, and I loved her with my whole heart.

"You two are so fucking stupid." Emmett laughed, his loud laughter booming off the walls as he picked up a chair that had fallen lopsided on the ground. "But this shouldn't just be swept aside, Eddie. Dad is testing us, and Alice is right, he's been thinking about retiring a lot lately. He and mom want to travel before we start getting married and giving them grandchildren."

I shrugged. "I just don't want her to get her hopes up is all," I noted, watching Alice bound from wall to wall, holding up wallpaper samples and paint colors. "She's got her final year coming up and I know she tries to hide it but..." I trailed off, watching her.

"Well, she is doing an interior design degree Edward, it's not like this is exactly outside of her curriculum you know," Emmett laughed.

I shook my head. "That's not what I'm talking about, Em, and you know it." I smirked at my brother. I could tell he was just trying to get a response from me, and it normally always worked, like right now.

"Listen, Ed, I know you worry, but honestly, Alice will be fine. You'll be fine, I'll be fine, and the business will sure as hell be fine because I'm here." He paused for a wink. "And it'll all be okay. You have absolutely nothing to worry about." Emmett lifted his hand, ruffling my hair before I hit his hand away. "You need a fucking hair cut." He frowned as I flicked a strand of my bronze locks from my eyes.

"Its fine," I sighed. I was so fucking sick of people talking about my god damn hair.

"And get some nicer clothes, you dress like a teenager." He pulled on the hood of my black sweater and eyed up my ripped black jeans and converse sneakers. "Maybe try a polo shirt or some fucking dress trousers for once. You're 22 not 12." He laughed and headed off to Alice.

I looked down at my attire, ran a hand through my hair and clicked the inside of my labret barbell with my teeth. "What's wrong with my fucking clothes?"

--

A few hours later we had actually found if we worked together we could get our shit together. We were a lot more optimistic about the outlook of the store. Alice had come up with a great color scheme that still emphasized the Crest Record's trademark green but incorporated a more muted, homely style to better suit the town. The last thing we'd want to do is bring in the high tech design and style like we had in the major towns and scare the living crap out of everyone here and be forced to close after only a few weeks.

Alice was practically bouncing as she sketched a floor plan of the store and began to decide where things would go. Emmett had taken off his blazer and pulled out a tape measure to decide how wide the shelves would be. After standing at the side for a half hour feeling more like a light fixture than a builder I decided to go and get some coffee. It was the only thing I could think of that didn't make me feel completely fucking useless, and to be honest, I could've used the caffeine.

Emmett mentioned that there was a coffee shop at the other end of Main Street, so I checked my pocket for my wallet and left. It was sunny outside but the air still felt chilly as it did most morning's here. I lifted my wrist, flicked my watch around to read it. It was always falling to the side. It was still early, only a little after 10.

I took long strides, listening to the rhythm of my feet hitting the pavement. The air was dense with the threat of rain, but I'd learned that that was just how it was in the Pacific Northwest and that I would learn to love it. I doubted that last part. It couldn't be much worse than Alaska though. I hated Alaska. Absolutely hated it, for more reasons than just the weather, but that's another story.

I perused the shop windows, trying to ignore glances the town folk gave me as I walked the streets. I probably looked like an alien to them. No matter where I went I always seemed to stick out like a sore fucking thumb. I didn't think I was that fucking odd looking. I only had the one facial piercing and the plugs in my ears weren't even the biggest they could go. Good thing I didn't think of upsizing them when I did or I might've been asked to leave town.

I'd asked Alice why it was that I got weirder looks than the rest of the family or why people would entirely stop what they were doing and just fucking stare at me like I was a sideshow or a piece of art at a fucking gallery. Her excuse was that I was far more attractive than the rest of the family, who in my opinion weren't that unfortunate so it was only natural that people would look. I personally thought my hair was far too red to be categorized as brown or bronze and could probably lean more towards the ginger category if it wasn't so dark. My eyes were so green they often looked translucent and I'm entirely sure they're too far apart. And my nose was so subdominant on my face that it may as well not be there at all seeing it just makes my face look like I've just ran into the back of a bus. But that's just me, clearly. I guess I have fucking self-esteem issues or some shit.

I'd just looked up from an antique shop when my eyes fell upon the sign. 'Bird's & Bee's'. The record store. The 'other' record store. The infamous competition. I kept my distance, choosing to watch from across the street. It was smaller than ours, only the size of a regular store. The front window had a meticulous display of the newest album releases as well as a few vintage vinyl cases. Obviously it wasn't professionally done and Alice probably would've had a fit if I'd done something like that in Crest but it suited 'Bird's & Bee's' perfectly. From the handmade signs on neon colored card scrawled in messy writing with a sharpie, to the paint on wood sign with a comical cartoon version of a bird chasing a bee above the window. I felt a smile tug at my lips. _It's perfect for Port Angeles_. My smile disappeared. _And we're here to shut it down. _

I let my vision zoom across the road and through the windows, trying to see inside, maybe get a head count. I couldn't see anyone individual and could make out movements of a few people. And then I spotted someone at the counter. Her long brown hair was decidedly feminine. She was laughing and smiling at someone else in the store, and I felt my lips curl again. Her soft features were animated as she talked and I watched her intently. Her features were so familiar to me, yet I couldn't figure out why. I'd never been to Port Angeles before.

As I was documenting her face into my memory it suddenly dawned on me that she could've been watching me for a full minute, before I realized she was in fact looking right back at me, scared confusion on her rather attractive face.

"Shit," I mumbled under my breath and quickly took off towards the coffee shop when she looked down self consciously. "Great, first day and I'm already freaking the shit out of people," I noted bitterly to myself as I entered the coffee shop.

--

We stayed at the store most of the day, brain storming, coming up with ideas on how this could work and not be a total failure. We all took turns running down to the coffee shop. I never went again; I was far too embarrassed from the last time.

But that girl, the girl in the shop window.

I was probably jumping to conclusions. Maybe she just had one of those faces. But I couldn't get her out of my mind. I'm sure I'd drifted off into my head more than just the once trying to place her in my catalogue of face's that I could put to names. But not one fit. And it made me more frustrated that I couldn't figure it out.

"Hello family!!" The door clinked open and all three of us looked up from our make-shift table of an old door and two crates. Carlisle, our father, came strutting through the door, flipping his sunglasses on top of his slicked back, blonde hair. The three of us kid's smiled simultaneously at him. "How are the plans going, kids?" he asked, his charm coming through, sending a wave of calm throughout the previously frantic creative space.

Alice jumped up, running to Carlisle as she began to chirp to him about how much work we'd done and how excited we all were about being given the opportunity to work on the store and blah fucking blah-blah-blah. Emmett smiled proudly to the side, his hands clasped behind his back as he watched his sister boast our progress.

I on the other hand sat where I was on the floor with my legs sprawled out in front of me, leaning back on the wall as I drew on the front of my converse with a sharpie. After Alice stopped harping on like a maniac Dad sent a thoughtful look over in my direction. I felt him move closer and I looked up from my doodle of a queen's crown, just as he stepped in front of me and grinned lazily up at him.

"Hi, Dad!" I waved, shaking the sharpie at him.

He stifled a laugh and shook his head. "I see you've been very productive with your time here today, Edward. The others are lucky to have you." I wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or serious, but I wasn't about to guess, so I went with the latter and took the compliment with great pleasure.

"You know me, Dad. I like to do what I can." I pushed myself off the ground and Dad laughed, throwing his arm around my neck to pull me to him, "Dad! Shove off!" I tried to budge against his side, but he was in pretty good shape for his age, so it was completely useless. It was a waste of my fucking energy actually.

"You should be helping your brother and sister, not sitting their defacing yet another pair of shoes!" He laughed, letting me go. I was known for doodling on my things. Books, wallets, limbs, walls, shoes…apparently.

I shrugged, shoving my hands into my pockets. "I have been helping. There's just not a lot I can do until the shelves are ready and the shipment comes in." I kicked at the floor with my shoe and looked up at him through my lashes. "I've been trying."

He smiled at me and nodded. "I'm sure you have Edward, I wouldn't doubt that for a second. I gave this store to you three because I trust you all entirely with this. I know you all have the combined talents to make this store work."

Alice was bouncing in her high heels. I'm surprised she wasn't chirping at the same time seen as she looked like a fucking bird as she was. Dad stayed with us awhile and we worked a bit more. Then Emmett had the smart idea that he wanted yet more coffee, and kindly volunteered me to go and get it. I'm not one to pass down a dare, especially one from my older brother who would more than likely taunt me, mock me or beat me if I didn't complete it.

I took a deep sedating breath and left the store, heading up the street's of Port Angeles. I was so god damn nervous about walking past 'Bird's & Bee's' again that I barely noticed the looks this time. "You're not going inside, you're not going inside, you'll only scare her, you'll only scare her, and you're not going inside, you're not going inside…" I repeated my new mantra over and over again.

I crossed the street, stepped up to the door of the store, repeated my mantra one more time and completely ignored it, pushing the door open, hearing the greeting of the bell above the door. I entered the store, making a beeline straight for the shelves on the side furthest away from the counter and pretended to peruse the selection. I could sense her eyes on me, I knew she was close, I just knew it.

"Uh, welcome to Bird's & Bee's." I heard a soft voice whisper that rung recognition through my entire body. It was like he was speaking directly to me and it was as if I'd heard it before. I looked up.

It was her.

--

I met Emmett and Alice at the car back at the store. Esme, our mother had called apparently, informing us that dinner would be served in exactly an hour and that we would be having guests. I was still in a state of confusion so I mumbled an alright and pulled myself into the passenger's seat alongside Emmett.

I kept replaying what had happened over and over in my head _"To see what I have seen, see what I see…" _I'd recited to her; to the unnamed girl at 'Bird's & Bee's' like a jackass. As if I was speaking to someone I fucking knew as opposed to what she actually was, a complete stranger to me.

Yet, I was sure I knew her from somewhere. Somewhere I can't recall. Close up, her features, her long luscious hair I wanted to spread my fingers through, the small cute point of her nose, the soft warm curve of her cheek that blushed crimson the entire time I talked to her. And those fucking eyes. Her fucking eyes were like chocolate, all large and innocent, looking up at me from under those lashes speaking to parts of me that I never knew existed, and definitely did not think could be rattled by a fucking girl who worked at an opposing store.

I ran a hand through my hair, ruffling my mane as I tugged on strands, trying to gain some fucking perspective. All of this over some girl I'd barely spoken to and it had all been fucking riddles and lines and I didn't have a clue what they meant. And I fucking touched her too. I went and fucked touched her, because I couldn't stop myself, because I didn't want to stop myself. I could not have been anymore rude even if I tried. I stared at her like people stared at me. I touched her, without asking permission, without seeking a name first. I'd made a complete fool of myself.

And I didn't even know her name.

**To Be Continued…**

_And there we have it,_

_I apologize if it wasn't what you were wanting._

_I apologize if it just confused you more._

_But I have a plan...ish._

_.com/RainerAdaire to keep up to date on where I am at with updating, my random inner monologue and...yeah that's it._

_THANKS FOR READING. YOU GUYS ROCK ME._

_-rain_


	3. Scene Three

_**Disclaimer: All things twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. All things Shakespearean belong to William Shakespeare. All things fictional belong to RainerNight. **_

_a/n: Thanks to everyone who's favorited, story alerted or reviewed this, you're all awesome. But I know we can do better, spread the word!_

_I am trying to write as much as I can but I do have a few stories going on at once so I apologize if this isn't updated as much as you all would like, but I am trying. _

_Thanks, as always to my Beta, Beth (stupid_lamb) for making my ridiculousness readable._

**TO SEE WHAT I HAVE SEEN  
SCENE 3**

Bella

_You say Y-E-S to everything  
Will that guarantee you a win?  
Do you think you will be good enough  
To love others and to be loved?_

_Mowgli's Road: Marina & the Diamonds_

--

The bronze haired flash of lightning had unintentionally, or intentionally I wasn't really to know, turned my entire fucking day upside down. For the rest of the afternoon I was in a funk. I was miscounting stock, over-charging customers and making a general fuckery of the entire store. It got to the point where the twins wouldn't even let me drive home. Instead, Rose chose to drive my truck home for me. I felt like I was being fucking babysat, and why? Because 'Edward' (which is a pretentious fucking name by the way), decided to come into my domain, and inadvertently kick me in the gut with his face, hair, eyes, hands and that stupid Shakespeare spewing mouth.

"Bella?" Rose broke through the silence that had encompassed the car since we pulled away from Main Street in Port Angeles, heading towards Forks. I turned to her, my face blank. She sighed loudly and flicked her curls behind her shoulder, clicking her tongue ring on her teeth. "I'm sorry he wasn't what you wanted," she said, her eyes focused on the road stretching out in front of the truck.

"Wasn't what I wanted? What the fuck are you talking about?" I narrowed my eyes at her. So I thought he was cute, it's not a fucking crime. She'd be fucking lying if she tried to tell me she didn't think that Cullen guy wasn't a looker. She's not fucking stupid, or blind.

She shrugged, "He's a Cullen. I saw the way you looked at him, Bella." She glanced over at me. "The last guy I saw you look at like that was…" she stopped herself, giving me a sympathetic eye.

I shook my head, "I have no idea what you're talking about. And don't you dare bring him up. You have no right." I wrung my hands in my lap, picking at the nail polish on my thumbs. "I'll never see him again. I'll never see Edward again so it makes no fucking difference how I looked at him. He's no one."

Rosalie sighed. "Don't get me wrong; if you were to meet someone, I think that would be really great for you Bells. You could use a little romance in your life." She smiled at me. "God knows you deserve someone who can treat you right."

"Don't you dare fucking sit there and tell me what I Goddamn need, Rose, okay?" I pointed at her. I was so sick of being told how I feel. Told how I should feel. I hated being told what to do. I'd spent my entire adolescence being told what to do by my mother; I'd rather die than let anyone else order me around that way.

"Look, I'm sorry okay?" Rose said gently, trying to calm me down. She reached across the bench seat and grabbed my hand in hers. I hadn't even noticed until then that I was shaking. "I'm just worried about you. When Cullen walked in I saw the way you looked at him and I liked seeing you that way. I miss that Bella."

I shook my head, "You miss a Bella that was a total mistake, Rose. Jake was a mistake. He proved that to me in every way. And this Cullen guy is gone. I won't see him again and things will be back to the way they're meant to be. I don't need a man to complete me, Rose. I don't need a man to make me smile," I said firmly, resting my case with a firm slap to my own knee with my hand.

Rose pulled into my driveway. Jasper's car was waiting on the roadside, his lights on. Rose cut the engine and handed me the key before she grabbed her bag. "Just because you don't need one, doesn't mean you can't want one." She leaned over the seat, kissing my cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow." She clicked open the driver's door and jumped out, heading towards Jasper's car.

I sat in my truck for a few moments going over what had just happened. I'd been alone for so long I'd forgotten what it was like to belong to anyone, to find comfort in someone in a romantic way. My friends had always been there for me and I'd never needed a physical reason to need a man. I had a vibrator, I had 2 hands and I wasn't a complete prude, I knew how to use them. And I did use them. Daily. There was absolutely nothing wrong with having a healthy sexual appetite. I could go out and find a guy who smiles at me the right way to take me home and pound me like a piece of meat, but cheap sex isn't my thing and it wouldn't get me off the way I'd want.

I groaned loudly, the sound echoing off the truck interior. I ran my hands over my face and kicked at my dashboard where I'd been resting my feet. I grabbed my bag and climbed out of the truck, shutting and locking it up seeing as I wouldn't be using it again today.

It was then that I noticed the extra car parked to the side by the large tree that shrouded the house in shade during the day, which I was never home to enjoy. Aunt Jane's 60's Volkswagen Beetle was tucked in. Even though it was dark you could still see the bright orange car. It stuck out like a moving traffic cone, a traffic cone with a flower mural on the door's and bright pink hubcaps. It had all the glamour of a wake 'n' bake party and the color pallet of a Dunkin' Donut's.

I let myself into the house and hung my coat on the rack. I almost leapt out of my skin when I found Aunt Jane leaning against the door, smiling at me. "Wow, make noise, woman, you scared the shit outta me!" I grabbed my chest to prove my point.

Aunt Jane looked like a bag of skittles had thrown up on her, dressed in a beaded rainbow cocktail dress and red platform pumps. She crossed her arms and smiled at me, a glint in her eye. "I have a favor to ask of you, Bella."

I narrowed my eyes at her, "Whatever it is, if it involves dressing like you I flat out refuse!" I joked, heading into the kitchen. Half joked. "Hey Dad!" He was sitting at the table reading the newspaper, still dressed in his uniform. Dad was the Chief of Police - had been for as long as I could remember. An accident a few years back had left him with a bad leg, so most of his duties he now executed from the station. He still went out on a few calls in the field but he mostly stayed inside. At least that way I knew he would always be safe. Charlie had spent his entire life in Forks, and in turn, was a creation of his surroundings. If he wasn't in uniform he was in flannel or plaid. He kept his moustache trimmed but his hair was always shaggy. He was my dad and had always been there for me when I needed him. I loved him with my whole heart, and I always would.

"Hey Bells!" He reached up, hugging me awkwardly with one arm as I greeted him. "How was work?" he asked, sipping on his Rainier beer, one of the many constants in this household. "I heard you had a run in with one of the Cullen kids?" He smirked.

I couldn't stop the eye roll that followed. "Does everything in my life take two seconds to get around the gossip pond? It was nothing. He came in to say hi and then he left. No big deal. Are you hungry?" I asked, trying to change the subject as quickly as possible.

Aunt Jane and Dad shared a glance. Aunt Jane's eyebrows rose and she nodded at me. My dad guffawed loudly and shook his head. "No way, Jane, you're on your own," he laughed.

My eyebrows furrowed, "What's going on?"

Aunt Jane smiled at me and took a few steady steps in my direction. "Honey, you know how much I appreciate your loyalty to the store, and I think you're doing such a great job with everything!" I nodded still a bit cautious as to what she was kissing my ass for. Ass kissing was not in the list of things Aunt Jane did with her time.

"What do you want?" I eyed her carefully. Once she gripped my left hand in between her own I knew something was up. "Whatever it is just say it, you're making me nervous. Do you need a kidney or something?" Aunt Jane laughed at my weak attempt at breaking tension and I looked over to my dad who was shaking his head as he read the paper, chuckling away to himself.

"Okay, I'm just going to ask." She took a deep breath and looked up at me. "I've been invited to the Cullen's for dinner and…Ineedforyoutocomewithme." She smiled up at me, but it looked painful, I'm not gonna lie.

And then it hit me. "Wait what?" I asked, leaning towards her. "I don't think I heard you properly," I laughed.

She shook her head, "Don't make me ask again. I feel just awful asking this of you since I know your first encounter with a Cullen went so…awkwardly. But I've been asked by Carlisle himself. I need for you to come with me. I could ask one of the others from the store, but Carlisle asked for you specifically."

"Me? Specifically? Why me? I don't understand." _There's absolutely no way you're taking me into their house and there is absolutely no fucking way I'm sitting down at a dinner table with those people, least of all Edward fucking Cullen!_

"I know! I'll owe you so much for the rest of my life and I know this is going to come back at me, karma wise. I'll probably have to light some replenishing incense later," she said, her train of thought veering off course as she summated how she was going to repent the act of niece begging. "But, that can wait. We have to go, and we have to leave in like…15 minutes ago. Go, go, hurry!" She shooed me out of my own bloody kitchen before I'd had a chance to even refuse.

I stepped a foot onto the stairs and looked around. "What in the hell just happened here?" _Was I actually about to do this? Was I going to dinner at the Cullen's house? Was I thinking about going sans panties? _I felt myself slowly ascend the stairs and my breathing became shallower as the thoughts continued to plague my mind, one after the other, playing out scenario after scenario of the billion's of things that could go wrong. But worst of all was just an image of his face; I'd get to see the Bronze haired boy again. Half of me was elated, the other half felt guilty. I was torn.

--

"Why am I doing this again?" I whispered into my cell phone as I pulled fiercely on the seatbelt with my free hand. "It's hot in here. I think it's hot in here. This seat belt is trying to cut me in half. I can't fucking breathe!" I gasped, pushing the seatbelt away from my neck.

"Bells! Just calm down, okay?" Angela soothed down the phone line. I could've called Rosalie but she would've been panicking just as much as I was, telling me how stupid I was for agreeing to come with Aunt Jane. I didn't need to be told this was stupid. I knew this was stupid. "You're going to their house for dinner, right?"

I wound down the world's oldest window in Aunt Jane's Beetle and stuck my head out into the fresh air. "Yes, I said yes. Well, actually, I didn't say yes, I'm not actually entirely sure why I'm sitting here right now." I snuck a glare over at Aunt Jane who was driving with the most obnoxious grin on her face. "All I wanted to do tonight was fuck around online, maybe watch a movie and go to sleep. But NO."

Aunt Jane completely ignored me which was possibly the most infuriating thing ever but I rolled my eyes and continued to talk to Angela. "Look, Bells, they're just a family. Besides, they may actually be nice, you never know. They don't have to be our enemies, they could be our friends." She actually squeaked the end part.

I sighed, "Okay maybe you're right. I doubt it, but you might be right." We said goodbye and hung up just as we pulled into a long driveway, leading to the house. The Abbott mansion. I'm pretty sure it was part of the historical society around here. I'm surprised they were even able to buy the place. It was ancient. It was beautiful, sure, that was obvious. But still, it was ancient. It was plantation style, which always confused me since I'm pretty sure it was built here and even if Forks had been plantations once upon a time, the weather here isn't exactly great for growing crops or anything; the corn would be water flooded.

The entire house was white, not off white, not cream, nor slightly yellow from age and weather; it was actually white. Pristinely white…too white. The shutters were a deep blue. It looked like a house from Anne of Green Gables to be honest.

Aunt Jane pulled the car up in front of the house, pulling up to park beside a pretentious looking BMW. I snorted as I opened my door, eyeing the car like it was about to turn and call me a name or something. I shut the door, looking back up at the house, my breath immediately sticking in my throat as I noticed the front door was open and that shadowy figures were waiting for us on the front porch.

"**Come on, Bella!" Aunt Jane tried to snap quietly. I'm pretty sure they heard her in La Push. I rushed to her side as her platforms pounded against the concrete of the Cullen driveway. I tried to squint in the darkness to see who exactly it was standing on the porch watching us like hawks in the nighttime but it was useless. "Carlisle! So lovely to see you!" Aunt Jane spoke as we stepped up the three wooden steps leading up and the figures came into focus in the dim serenity of the porch light.**

My eyes must've been deceiving me because there's no way one family can be this beautiful. The one named Carlisle, who I guessed was the father of the family, stepped forward, holding his hands out to Aunt Jane. Carlisle Cullen, that name did ring a bell. His hair was slicked back and he smiled with his eyes. He was quite good looking for whatever his age must be, handsome for an older man. Aunt Jane then greeted the woman standing at his side. Now this woman was beautiful. Her hair was soft and brown, falling down her shoulders in wavy curls. Her lips were full and outlined with an obviously well thought out shade of pink that would've made Rose cringe. But she wore it well, her eyes shining as she greeted my Aunt with a smile that seemed totally sincere.

"And you must be Bella." Carlisle smiled, holding his hand between us. I pulled myself out of my staring and judging to shake his hand.

"That I would be, thank you for the invitation, it was most unexpected," I replied almost robotically. I may not have been the most well spoken person around my friends but I wasn't rude. I knew how to be polite, and I could charm the pants off of anyone.

"Of course, you're most welcome." His wife smiled, reaching out to take my hand after Carlisle. "I'm Esme and these are our children." Esme, the wife, turned to point at the two standing obediently behind them. They stepped forward and I noticed instantly that neither of them was Edward and I tried to hide my disappointment with a small, polite smile. "This is Emmett… The tall, strong looking male with the dimples and cheeky grin waved at me, winking in a friendly yet curious manner. I found myself smiling wider in response as I waved in turn. "And this is my daughter, Alice; the youngest," Esme added. Now this girl did not seem anything like her older brother. She looked down her nose at me, eyeing up my outfit with a single sweep of her thickly mascara'd lashes.

I almost thrust my clutch at Aunt Jane asking her to hold my shit while I wiped that snotty look off Alice Cullen's face with my fist. My smile disappeared immediately and I returned the same scowl the stranger was sending me. "It's nice to meet you both," I shot icily, staring Alice down. She scoffed, flung her skanky hair over her skanky shoulder and began inspecting her nails. Emmett shoved his younger sister's shoulder and the two exchanged a look.

We began to head inside and I listened intently to the adults, waiting to hear something about Edward's whereabouts. As Carlisle took my coat I received my answer. "Edward, our middle child, will be back shortly. I sent him to the store to pick up a few things for me, but he should be back. I'd love for you to meet him, Bella." Esme swooned over her son. Obviously Edward's mother wasn't immune to his charm either.

I smiled at her as we stood awkwardly in the front foyer.

"Sorry, come into the sitting room," Carlisle offered and Aunt Jane and I followed the Cullen's from the main hall to the right where a large area with modern looking furniture sat. I wasn't expecting everything to be so…new. Especially in a house as old as this one was. I looked around at the fixtures and moldings which looked as untouched as I'd expected. The entire decorative theme clashed with the age of the house. It looked tacky and ridiculous. The coolest thing about the room was the blood-red wallpaper glittered with golden vines that crept across the walls like a web. "All of the light fixtures and crown moldings in the house are original. Over 100 years old," Carlisle beamed.

I nodded, looking around. "Seems a shame," I muttered, eyeballing a large absurd looking sculpture that sat in the corner. It looked like a bloody penis. When did the memo go out to artists that said the more phallic the sculpture the more it would sell for? Give me a sculpture of a naked man with a towel over his shoulder any day but for the love of God, own it!

"What seems a shame dear?" I looked up from my amateur judgment and found Esme looking at me expectantly. It seemed I needed to work on my subtlety.

I shook my head, smiling shyly at her. "Nothing, just a passing thought." I sat down on one of the single leather chairs and almost yelped as I sunk into the cushion. I'm sure my legs were sitting higher than my ass. My black silk cocktail dress that had been sitting in my closet since high school graduation 3 years ago was not reacting so well with the leather. If I moved even a little I was sure I'd go flying off into the cheese ball that sat on the bright red table in the middle of the room that went with absolutely nothing. My comment was quickly forgotten as Aunt Jane launched into a play by play of her entire day to Esme and Carlisle got up, fetching us some drinks. He returned with my wine and I took a sip, staring at a small apothecary table that was beside the seat I was sitting on. I hadn't noticed in my distaste that Alice had made her way over, taking the seat beside me.

"You won't find that at a Pottery Barn if that's what you were hoping for," she commented snidely. I turned to her, my eyebrow arched in shock at her sudden closeness. Emmett was flanking her, perched on a stool as he chugged back large gulps of a Heineken, watching over us with that same cheeky grin.

I looked down at the table. "I wouldn't be surprised if I could. It doesn't look very genuine, although I must say it is the only piece of furniture that goes with this room." I shrugged, sipping my wine again. Emmett choked on his beer, glancing furiously between Alice and myself. I glanced at Alice and I frowned even further. If looks could kill, I would've been twice dead now because she did not look happy. Her whole face went red as she clenched her fist.

"Excuse me, but what would you know about interior design, huh? Nothing, that's what! This room is decorated to perfection!" Alice fumed. I'm surprised she wasn't stomping her foot on the floor, flailing about, seeing as she was well on her way to a tantrum.

"Perfection for what? A condo in Florida? Look around you, this house is historic. It's older than God and stuffing it full of generic up-market leather, chrome and glass is spitting on the heritage of this house. What's old is beautiful and should be kept that way. Nothing in this room fits with this house; it's like taking a choir boy and placing him smack damn in the middle of a prison, it just doesn't work." I shrugged as nonchalantly as possible, taking another sip of wine. "But you're right, what do I know?" I smiled sarcastically at her and her mouth dropped open. She was just about to yell at me, I could feel it, but unfortunately for her she was stopped by her brother slamming an open palm playfully to the middle of her back.

"Whoa, Alice! It seems Miss. Bella here agrees with the majority of the household." Emmett laughed before he turned to me. "We've been trying to talk her into bringing the furniture up from the basement but she ensures us we'll get used to this. It's 'top of the line' apparently." Emmett's face screwed up in disgust as he looked around the room. Alice looked about ready to burst. "Edward hates it especially. I mean, I'm all for trends but this place looks like a showroom, Sis." He patted Alice's head which must've been the last straw because she jumped up; huffing out of the room towards what I guessed was the kitchen.

"Was it something I said?" I shrugged, as I tried to look coy but I'm sure I failed miserably.

Emmett threw his head back, laughing loudly and I couldn't help but smile. "Ignore Alice, she's naturally high strung," he said as he moved from the stool into the seat his sister had just vacated. "She's majoring in Interior Design but it's sort of gone to her head. She was a know-it-all before she started college. The more information she gets she somehow thinks is given to her so she can prove her point whether she's wrong or not. It's infuriating. Endearing, but infuriating." He shook his head, running a hand over his dark spiky hair as he drained the rest of his bottle.

"You're not like your brother," I said before it had even registered in my head. I immediately began chastising myself. _What have we talked about, Bella? THINK before you speak. THINK then speak! _My hand flew to my mouth, a physical attempt at keeping my words in my mouth.

Emmett tilted his head at me. "You've met Edward?" he asked, intrigue plastered on his face. "When?"

I nodded, "This afternoon at Bird's & Bee's."

Emmett's eyes widened. "He went into your store?" He looked away, staring at the empty bottle in his palm and then he smiled and chuckled at his own private joke. "That explains a lot." He shook his head, obviously not willing to share what he found so entertaining with little old me.

"It's just, you and Alice have very similar coloring, as far as look's go. Edward's a little more…" I trailed off, trying to find the right word to describe the fascinating Edward Cullen.

"Pointy?" Emmett offered making me snort in laughter. I covered my mouth again, willing the snort to crawl back in me. Emmett gazed at me before he burst into hysterics. "You fucking snorted!" He pointed, openly laughing at me.

I shook my head in embarrassment. "It was the seat." I tried to blame, but it was useless. It was then that what Emmett had said registered in my head. "Did you just call your brother pointy!?" I smirked.

Emmett shrugged and his laughter subsided. "Yeah, I might have. But you know what I mean; he's a little bit…pointy."

For as strange as the summation was, it was pretty true. He was quite pointy, pointy in the best way. "I guess so…pointy and bronze."

Emmett nodded, "It makes no sense either, his hairs quite red and his eyes are green. Mom's eyes are green though." Emmett pointed at Esme who looked over at us when she heard 'Mom' before she smiled, her eyes smiling with her. She seemed kind. "Oh, speak of the devil," Emmett said under his breath, pushing himself out of his seat. "Can I fetch you a refill, Miss. Bella?" Emmett asked, holding his hand out to take my wine glass. I then noticed my glass was empty and I nodded absentmindedly, watching as Emmett made his way into the foyer and began to talk to someone who was out of sight, taking a bag from the hidden person. It then hit me: Edward was back.

I watched Emmett laugh and maneuver my wine glass and his bottle into one hand to hold the paper bag easier and he moved up the hallway towards the kitchen. And then there he was. Dressed in a black fitted button down and deep grey jeans stood Edward Cullen. His hair was in its taunting disarray and he ran another hand through it as he stepped into the sitting room, reaching his hand out to shake Aunt Jane's hand. He was smiling but it was forced, but he was well practiced; only someone who used the same fake smile in their arsenal would be able to detect it. He stood up, talking to my Aunt who began to fan herself as she smiled up at him, responding to whatever it was he'd asked. I shook my head in bewilderment. My Bronze Haired Boy was dazzling my bloody Aunt.

_**Your**__ Bronze Haired Boy, Bella? _My inner Bella nodded furiously, the one who ran with my heart in her hands, where as the sensible Bella that lived in my head was wielding an axe, aiming it at Inner Bella with a look of absolute dread on her face. I shook the thought from my head just in time. He looked over at me and I noticed Esme pointing at me.

"Uh yes, we met earlier today." I heard Edwards honey voice confess and all eyes were then on me, but mine were only trained on one set. He was magnetic. He moved towards me and I felt my posture change to match his whereabouts in the room. He stopped a few feet in front of me, holding his hand out. "Bella, it's wonderful to see you again."

I blinked at him a moment and my hand rose to meet his. His skin was so soft, and he smelt of musky cologne and man. I tried to hide it but I inhaled deeply as he lifted my hand to his lips. My breath hitched in my throat as he pressed his lips to the soft skin of my knuckles. "Edward." I nodded, the corner of my mouth lifting into a quarter smile.

He let my hand go standing back up to his impressive height and he excused himself from the room, heading the same way Alice had fled. Three sets of eyes were on me, all shocked, knowing or curious. "What was that?" Aunt Jane asked. Subtlety obviously ran in the family.

I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and tried to hide my smile. "It was nothing, just being polite," I said, ringing my hands awkwardly in my lap. _If that was just being polite, I'd love to see you two actually try! _Sensible Bella taunted, sitting on my shoulder with a disgusted expression on her face.

Inner Bella was long gone. She'd followed Edward into the kitchen throwing Goddamn fucking confetti.

And here I sat, confused as all hell.

But about three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward Cullen was beautiful, in every sense of the word and I had to keep my wits about me under all circumstances. Second, he was still the enemy and as much as I could ignore it, he was a Cullen, and that changed everything. And third, I was not sure coming sans panties was such a wise move because I was pretty sure my ass was now glued to the leather seat.

**To Be Continued…**

_a/n: and there you have it._

_Drop me a line! Let me know what you think is going to happen, what you'd like to see happen, what could be the worst thing that could happen…I'd love to hear from you._

_And as always, review!_


	4. Scene Four

_**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. All things Shakespearean belong to William Shakespeare. All things fictional belong to RainerNight. **_

_a/n: Thanks to everyone who's put this story in their faves, or on alert. I appreciate you all. Thanks to those who have reviewed. _

_Thanks to Beth (stupid_lamb) my magnificent beta. _

_I have the next update ready so....review. More a/n down below._

**TO SEE WHAT I HAVE SEEN  
SCENE 4**

**Edward**

_You can't stop us on the road to freedom_

_You can't stop us 'cause our eyes can see_

_Men with insight_

_Men in granite_

_Knights in armor intent on chivalry_

_Tupelo Honey: Van Morrison_

--

I knew her name. How could I have been so idiotic!? Not only had she told me at the store before I turned into the freak of fucking Washington but my thesis advisor had mentioned her as well. Professor Banner at the University in Seattle who was now directing my thesis had told me that there was only one other student at the college that had as an in depth knowledge of Shakespeare as I did. And her name was Bella Swan.

The same Bella Swan who worked at Bird's & Bee's. The same Bella Swan whose Aunt, Jane Swan owned the store. The same Bella Swan whose father was the chief of Police in Fork's. And the exact same Bella Swan who I'd made a complete fucking fool of myself in front of at the fucking record store before I ran out with my tail between my legs like some prized poodle.

And I'd arrived home to find out that my father had invited Jane and Bella to dinner, and they had accepted, and I wanted to crawl under the house and die. I'd changed outfits, count it, sixteen times. SIXTEEN! That's fifteen times more than I should have! Hell, it's_sixteen _times more than I would have if it had been anyone else coming to dinner at our house.

But for some completely unreasonable, completely ridiculous, inexcusable reason I was nervous. My hands ran through my hair at lightning speed, making my attempts at taming completely pointless. I spent at least an hour pacing the floor of my bedroom, over thinking what I was going to do or how to act once Bella was inside the house.

I could have continued to carry on my mysterious, almost creepy character that I'd stupidly started being at the record store and possibly scare her even more than I did the first time. I could have tried to be more like my brother; boisterous, loud, and funny. I could do funny. But I couldn't be my brother. I'd rather shoot myself than turn into my brother. I could be like my sister; arrogant, snide, bitter and antagonistic…or not. Seeing as I'd rather put a fork in my eye than be like my sister.

I was at a crossroads. Who I really was, was too fucked up to even admit to myself, so the prospect of ever showing that to someone else, least of all Bella, would incontrovertibly prove to be the dumbest thing I could ever do.

So what did I do, you ask?

After sitting and reading Shakespeare for an hour before Mom sent me to the store to get some more cooking wine and a few bags of bagel crisps, I'd somehow come to the conclusion that if Shakespeare could conjure characters from his mind and mold them into iconic literary heroes, than I could do the same sort of thing in my life.

Okay. So it sounds stupid, but I ran with it. Somewhere in my fucked up mind I'd concluded that it would be optimal for me to completely ignore the shit storm of a man I actually was and pretend to be what I would think Bella would want. I may be naïve as to think she ever could want me, and probably incredibly proud of me to think that I could deserve her, but she was…intoxicating, in the best possible way. I'd only seen her once, but her familiarity was all I could think about. She was so…comfortable to me. The way she felt under my hand, the way she smiled, the way she smelt, everything. It was so familiar to me. I just wanted to know why, or at least have time to figure out why.

Dr. Banner said she was a romantic. Her thesis report was, in some sort of irony, almost the rebuttal version of my own thesis. I was arguing that Shakespeare's literature, although incredibly important and crucial to the literary world, had over time become stale and antiquated to the point that it was now completely redundant in modern society. That the world had now become so jaded and so pessimistic that his words, however beautiful, were no longer cherished as they once were, and in turn his words would be forgotten.

Whereas Bella's thesis, as Dr. Banner had informed me, was the exact opposite. Clearly she was a "hopeless romantic", and "an optimist in her own right", seeing as she was fighting to prove that Shakespeare's stories, his poetry and his words were still as provocative and honest in their portrayal of typical human behavior however viral, clichéd or unconventional as it may be, as they had always been. So, judging by the fact she's not a complete psycho and doesn't have any apparent murder or suicidal tendencies I'd say it was the romance that she adored.

So I was going to be the biggest fucking Don Juan the world had ever seen, or in this case, the best Romeo I could be; the perfect Romeo for Bella. So after I'd rushed out to the store and rode way too shit damn fast back to the house and taken my jacket off at the door before I'd gone back in, I got around to checking my phone, finding two missed calls and one text message. Once missed call was from Mom the other was from Alice. I opened the text, which was also from Alice and smiled as soon as I read the words.

**Alice 07:42PM**

**Swans r here & I h8 them already.**

**Hurry up!**

I shook my head, laughing at my sister and her snap judgments. She was usually wrong anyway, and the reason she probably hated them was because they didn't care very highly for her. It was always the same with her. It was one of the least attractive things about my sister. She was so quick to judge everyone around her, including me, but never herself. As far as she was concerned she was perfect, and anyone who saw her any differently was automatically not worth her time or acknowledgement. I couldn't wait to find out why Alice had judged Bella so negatively so quickly and a smile came to my face at that thought alone.

I grabbed the bag of groceries out of the carrier at the back of my bike and nearly sprinted up the porch steps. Yup, you read that right, my bike. I don't mean bike as in bicycle either, I'll leave them to Dorothy, Elliott and Freddie Mercury. I mean bike as in Motorcycle. I owned two, both given to me by my father; two rather expensive, rather irresponsible gifts given out of guilt and…well…more guilt. But I loved them as if they were my offspring. My first I'd gotten about a year ago, a 2009 V-Rod Harley Davidson in Vivid Black and Pewter Pearl. It was beautiful and it handled like a dream and it was ridiculously fast. The latest present I'd received I'd gotten only a month ago before Dad decided to bring us down here. Like I said; guilt present. It's a 2010 CVO Softail Convertible Harley Davidson in Abyss Blue and Chrome. And the best thing about it, it has a passenger seat behind mine. I couldn't wait to get Bella on there, legs spread either side of me, arms wrapped around my waist as her hair blows around us while she screams for me to go faster and faster. Or maybe that's an entirely different dream, I'm not sure…

I pushed the door open, awkwardly tucking my helmet under my arm to shut the door behind me. I turned just as Emmett came into the front foyer, smiling as if he'd just won the lottery or found a girl with three tits.

"What's got you so fucking happy? Are you high again?" I questioned, half serious-half joking…mostly serious. Emmett took the grocery bag off me before I hung my leather jacket and helmet up in the closet. I looked down disapprovingly at my Converse sneakers as I sucked on my labret ring. I'd changed it from the barbell to the ring when I'd gotten changed. The ring is more fun to play with. My dress shoes seemed far too formal for the evening and I didn't want to seem like a git.

"The guests are here," Emmett chirped; yes, chirped, like a girl. I arched an eyebrow at him and pulled the sleeves of my button down up to my elbows. I ran a hand through my hair and took a look in the foyer mirror. I caught a glimpse of Emmett grinning at me in the mirror and I turned to him, rolling my eyes.

"What?" I sighed, knowing he was about to have a go at me about something.

He shook his head as he grinned even wider, a feat I didn't think was physically possible until just now. "Nothing - absolutely nothing. But I will say she's fascinating, I'll give you that. And she put Alice in her place," he laughed.

"Who?" I asked as my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. I had a feeling I knew who he was talking about.

He laughed louder this time and tapped his nose with the hand holding the bag. It looked awkward but Emmett was big enough that it worked in some sort of ape-like way. "You'll see, go greet the guests." He nodded towards the sitting room and headed down the corridor towards the kitchen. It was then that I noticed he was balancing a wine glass along with this empty beer bottle and I smirked. I made my way into the sitting room, and there she was. It was time for the romancing of the Swan to begin.

--

I finished off the dinner with Emmett and Alice as Alice made snide comments about Bella which I immediately shut down with my own Alice aimed objections. She really was the rawest form of vile sometimes. I guess it made it worse that she was talking about my Bella in such a horrid way. _**My**__ Bella? Yes, __**my**__ Bella. Mine. _It only took a moment after Alice had left the kitchen to make sure the table in the dining room was set up appropriately enough for Emmett to pounce.

"So, Edward, are we going to talk about what happened in there?" Emmett asked, nodding his head towards where Bella was sitting. She'd moved into a seat at the side of the sitting room that was in view of the kitchen and I'd noticed the way she glanced over at me as I moved around. I was quite a good cook, if I do say so myself. And I couldn't lie, I'd been watching her also. I hadn't said anything to her since my greeting, but I knew with the way her body shuddered and then tensed when I'd kissed her hand, and the way she'd breathed out my name as a sigh that I'd gotten under her skin.

It seemed my hypothesis was right, she was a romantic. Longing glances, playful smiles and whispered words were the way to make this girl tick. I could deliver that. I'd studied words of great romance writers my entire adolescence. I knew what it was that could make a woman lose her mind and want to live inside my own mind instead. I was a pro. I could do this, and I would do it. And I'd do it well.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I replied calmly to Emmett as I poked one of the steaks with a fork, turning off the grill as I moved the meat off the grill into a pan to rest. Emmett was draining the pasta and poured it into a dish along with the pesto.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about, dear brother. There's a reason Miss. Bella's been watching you since you got back." Emmett informed. I guess he wasn't as obtuse as I'd hoped he was. I pulled the roast vegetables out of the oven and piled them onto a serving dish. "You said something to her, and the way you kissed her hand," he chuckled, "I have to say bro, I'm impressed." He slapped my back firmly, sending me forward into the counter as I grimaced.

I heard a soft chime like laughter come from the sitting room and I looked up to see Bella laughing behind her hand, her eyes on me. I smiled sheepishly at her and shrugged, rolling my eyes at Emmett. She smiled back in return and I felt my heart tug.

"You could do a lot worse than that girl in there, Edward. In fact, you have done a lot worse than Bella," Emmett said quietly into my ear. "She's brilliant, did you know that?"

I looked up at Emmett. "I had a feeling." I shrugged, trying to seem as nonchalant as I possibly could. But of course I knew that. I don't know how I knew that seeing as I'd only seen her once, earlier today, but for some reason I just knew. "It'll probably sound odd, but I feel as if I know her." My eyes went back to her. She was talking to someone out of sight, sipping on her wine. I watched her tongue dart between her lips to lick at the red liquid moistening them. God how I wanted to be that wine.

"I know what you mean." Emmett nodded thoughtfully, bringing my attention back to him. "She's very comfortable around us, even Alice. She had no trouble putting her in her place."

I smiled at that thought, imagining what Alice explained had occurred between the two of them. I wanted to high five Bella and tell Alice that she was absolutely wrong, my Bella was right. I hated the sitting room furniture. It made the rest of the house look ridiculous. Why my mother gave Alice the most used room in the house to decorate I'll never know. I used to love sitting in there to read until Alice turned it into the world's most overpriced fucking Sears showroom.

"I think we're done here." Emmett clapped as we looked down at the food we'd managed to conquer. Like two proud cavemen we bumped chests, very manly like and I moved into the sitting room to announce dinner.

"If you'd all like to make your way to the dining room, dinner is ready," I said loudly, sure everyone would hear me. I turned to check and found Emmett and Alice carrying the food into the dining room and I smiled, my next step being set up perfectly. I approached Bella who was bending down in her seat to pick up her little black handbag thing. It was small, but cute. I wasn't sure how many drinks she'd had, but her glass was now empty.

"This should be interesting," I heard her say to herself before she took a deep breath, tucked her hand under thigh and lifted her leg, leaning all her weight onto the other leg as she leaned over. "I think we're good," she muttered again.

I watched her with an arched eyebrow as she maneuvered her way slowly off the seat before she stood up and swayed in front of me, smiling shyly. _Perfect, _I thought as I stepped up to her, my armor gleaming in the light of the chandelier. "May I escort you to the dining room, Isabella?" I offered my arm to her and she looked up at me with those big brown eyes, as innocent as ever, sending a surge straight to my groin. I guess I'm not very chivalrous after all.

She nodded, glancing down as if she was afraid. She moved her hand to my elbow and I tucked it in further, pulling her closer towards me. I wanted to smell her, feel her body rub against mine torturously as we moved from the room. I'm a masochist if there ever was one. "I think I may have drunk too fast," she confessed as we moved up the hall slowly. I felt a smile adorn my face as I watched her reddened cheeks blush even further at her confession.

"Good thing we have plenty of carbohydrates ready, absorb the alcohol right up," I whispered into her ear and I felt her shudder again. God, this woman was sent here to punish me. My fucking kryptonite was standing beside me, flushed and dazed. I wanted to hoist her over my shoulder and take her to my bedroom to lie down, and maybe I'd lie down with her.

She giggled and hiccupped, covering her mouth in embarrassment and I couldn't help but laugh quietly into my shoulder as we entered the dining room behind my parents. Jane was still talking. All that woman seemed to do was talk. But she was relatively interesting I suppose, better to listen to than a lot of other women I'd known.

I pulled Bella's chair out where she'd be sitting opposite me and beside Emmett and watched her dress move up her thighs as she sat. I groaned softly and pushed her chair in, moving around the opposite side of the table to take my seat beside my sister. Jane was on her other side and Esme sat at the head closest to her, my father sitting the end closest to me.

My father and Jane took hold of the table conversation and the rest of us ate in silence. Bella and I began a game of eye-tag. When I looked up at her she'd look down at her plate, then she'd look back up at me, and I'd find my pasta to be the most interesting thing ever. It was playful and naïve but also quite endearing.

Bella ate quickly, sipping on her orange juice. She'd politely declined Fathers offer to refill her wine glass and I'd fetched her orange juice from the kitchen. The secret smile she sent me was worth the effort. God, listen to me, I'd started sounding like a bloody girl! But it was all over, I was infatuated with her. It was the brown of her eyes, the soft blush of her cheek and the rich color of her hair, all of it. All of it was infatuating. Not to forget her scent, God her perfume; feminine and everything Bella.

Dinner finished and Jane and Esme rose to clear the plates while Alice followed to bring in dessert, sending a glare in Bella's direction. I wanted to trip her on her way past, but I didn't' because I'm trying to be a knight, not a dick.

"So Bella, what are you studying at university?" Carlisle asked and my ears quipped up immediately. My eyes happily settled on Bella's face as her cheeks turned rosy. You could see the panic pass over her face as she let the fact that my father had asked a question of her directly that required more than a yes or no answer, sink in, but she quickly recovered, smiling politely at him

She cleared her throat and spoke, "I'm studying literature, sir. Uh, majoring in Shakespeare. My thesis is on Shakespeare."

Dad's eyebrows rose and he looked right at me, smirking knowingly. "Oh, Edward, aren't you studying Shakespeare?" he quipped, looking so proud, as if he was orchestrating an army and not a conversation between his son and a pretty girl.

I nodded; smiling at him. I then looked back into Bella's stunned eyes. She had no idea. "Yes, my major is also Shakespeare. My thesis subject also," I told her. Bella's eyes could not have been projecting any higher multitude of emotions even if she tried. It just wasn't possible. She looked intrigued, confused, intimidated and excited all at once. Don't tell me how I knew that, but for some reason, I just did. I could read her perfectly.

"I had no idea." She smiled and then recollection dawned on her face. "But it does explain a few things…" she trailed off.

I clasped my hands in front of me, resting my chin on my knuckles as I settled a smirk on my face that I knew would catch her attention. Judging by the way her focus dropped to my lips and then back up to my eyes before she shifted in her seat, I was right. "What does it explain Isabella?" I asked, using her full name just for the mere fact that I liked the way it sounded rolling off my fucking tongue and shit.

She tucked a strand of mahogany behind her ear and smiled. She seemed embarrassed as her cheeks blushed. I liked seeing her blush. I wanted to make her blush again, or at least be in her company as she did so. It was magical. "When you came into the store today," She ran a hand through her hair, toying with the end of a long curl. "You recited Shakespeare. That just explained why."

_Edward Cullen, you dick head! _I didn't want to be remembered as the snobby asshole that came into her store thinking I could get away with talking to her like that. I felt so fucking stupid for even doing that, but the words had left my mouth so quickly and I was so flustered by her I couldn't think of anything else to say.

After desert we returned back to the sitting room and I sat down at the piano. I noticed Bella watching me from across the room and she excused herself from her conversation with Carlisle and came over, setting her wine glass down on top of the baby grand. I smiled up at her, tilting my head as I ran my fingers lightly over the keys.

"I see you're back on the wine." I nodded towards the glass and the liquid swishing around it.

Bella shook her head. "It's actually Red Bull." She grinned at me, taking another sip. "Do you play?" she asked, sitting beside me at the piano. I knew the others in the room were talking about us, I could see them in the background behind Bella, but I was barely registering them. Why would I? Bella was here.

"I can play…sort of. I'm better at guitar." I nodded as I pressed down on the keys. I began to play the opening of a song I didn't think she'd recognize. My interest piqued when I heard her squeak quietly and I turned to look at her to see that it was a good sound because she was smiling. "You know this song?" I asked, trying to hide the astonishment in my voice.

She nodded, "Little Bell right? Well, 'La Campanella'. My mother used to make me listen to Liszt and Chopin and Rachmaninov when I was like…12." She rolled her eyes. "I'd probably appreciate it more if I wasn't made to listen to it so often. But I do like this song." She smiled up at me before she took another sip of her drink. I watched her tongue dart out of her mouth and lap at the moisture of the energy drink still left on her lips. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from whining and looked back at what my fingers were doing. "For someone who only knows a little bit of piano, you sure are good."

I shrugged, "I started taking lessons when I was four. I think Mother hoped I'd stick to it, but when she wouldn't let me get a drum kit when I was 13 I picked up Emmett's guitar, and never gave it back." I chuckled, "Always a rebel." I looked down into her eyes as she smiled back at me. God, she was the most beautiful creature I'd ever laid eyes on. I stopped playing and went to lift my hand to her cheek when Emmett, probably hearing his name came wandering over to Bella and I, pulling us from our little bubble or at least I from my Bella bubble.

"Miss Bella, I hope Edward isn't boring you to death." Emmett smiled charmingly at her as he draped himself over the piano, looking down at her. I glared at him but he ignored me. The bastard was probably doing it on purpose. I moved off the piano stool in a huff and looked down at Bella.

"If you'll excuse me." I bowed slightly at her automatically, feeling like a huge tool. I tried to ignore the snort that Emmett let loose as well. Clearly he also thought I looked like a tool, but he seemed to be enjoying it a little more than I was. I left the room, heading out onto the front porch and sitting myself down on the swing seat as I pulled my cigarette packet out of my jeans. I lit one of them up and took a deep drag. I was enjoying my nightly cigarette so much that I didn't hear the porch door open, or notice Bella step out and join me.

"You know smoking can kill you, right?" Her voice broke through my reverie and I looked up at her. She was eyeing my cigarette like it was an oasis and we were stuck in the middle of the desert.

I looked at it and then back up at the eager look in her eyes. "Would you like some?" I offered, smirking at her. She didn't even answer just stepped over to me, falling onto the seat beside me as she tore the cigarette from my fingers taking a drag almost as deep as the one I'd just taken. "Stressful day?" I teased as I lit another one, letting her have mine. I think if I was to put the cigarette back in my mouth, knowing it had just touched her lips I'd probably jizz in my pants.

Releasing the smoke she spoke, "Yeah, and stupidly it was because of you." She gasped, obviously not meaning to say that aloud. I looked over at her, trying to keep my face neutral. I wonder if she could tell that on the inside I was bouncing like a 12 year old girl at a Justin Beiber concert. Okay, so stressful wasn't the ideal effect I was going for…but it was an effect and that was a good thing right?

"Because of me, what'd I do?" I asked as I kept my eyes trained solely on her. I knew, but I wanted to hear her say it. I wanted to hear how I affected her in her own words. Oh wow, I am a masochist.

She shook her head, her mouth strained in a tight line.

"You can tell me." I reached over, placing a hand on her forearm and her whole body tensed as if I'd just burnt her with a branding iron. I pulled my hand back immediately. "I'm sorry. God, I need to stop touching you out of turn, it's so rude." I sucked in another breath of smoke and let it out in a smooth line.

"It's…" Bella cleared her throat, summoning my eyes back to her, even though I knew she didn't do it on purpose. "…it's okay. I don't mind it when you touch me." She tucked her hair behind her ear, something I'd come to learn was a nervous tick for her.

I felt myself lean subconsciously towards her warmth. "You tense every time I do though." I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice and I had to sit on my hand to stop from reaching out and touching her again. I watched her tongue dart out of her mouth and run over her bottom lip. I wanted to be her tongue…or her lip. I'd go for either.

"I'm sorry." She didn't try and defend herself so it must've been something she was aware of. "I don't do it on purpose." She wrapped her arm around herself, throwing her cigarette into the ashtray that sat on the porch opposite the seat. I sat out here a lot, you see.

"Is there a reason why it happens when people touch you, Bella?" I asked gently. She looked off into the distance, wrapping her other arm around her as well. The moonlight shone over the property putting everything under a blue glow. Bella looked fucking gorgeous and I felt a million images run through my head of what Bella would look like naked in this light and how many times I could kiss her before she'd moan a little for me…I was staring. "Bella?" I tried again, hoping to get a response.

Bella then turned her neck and looked at me, and I finally realized how close we were sitting next to one another. Our noses were only inches apart and I could feel her breath on my face, hear her breathing in my ears with every inhale and exhale she released. I listened intently as the speed of her breathing increased and she bit her lip as her eyes wandered down my face towards my own lips.

"Why do you tense when I touch you?"

Without warning, and without coercing of any kind, Bella tilted her head back, sat up straight and moved her lips to cover mine. I gasped as the softness cushioned my lips and I let my eyes close so I didn't look or feel like a fucking owl as she kissed me. Holy fuck, she kissed me. Holy fuck, she was kissing me.

I increased pressure against her which made her hiss as my piercing pressed into her lip. I bought my hand to her cheek as I opened my mouth against hers. I almost fucking came when she moaned louder than I think she meant to, the sound sending blood straight to parts that would be impolite to mention when I was trying to be prince charming.

The front door then clicked and opened, and I could hear voices and just as soon as it had begun, the kiss was over, and Bella's lips were pulled from mine as she sat back in her seat, tucking her hair behind her ears again. She was doing an average job of looking as if we weren't just kissing on my front porch in my mother's swing seat; I on the other hand, was swollen lipped with my eyes still shut looking like I was kissing the air. I let them flutter open when I heard someone clear their throat. I cracked one eyelid. Carlisle looked at me with his eyebrows raised in question. And then I opened the other; Jane and Mom were standing there now as well, similar expressions to Dad's on their faces.

"Are you alright their son?" Dad asked. I could see that he knew what I'd just been doing…what Bella and I had just been doing because he looked as if he was trying not to laugh.

I sat back in the seat, staring at the porch railing in front of me. "I'm fine…" I couldn't conceal my smile any longer as I looked over at Bella who was biting her lip next to me, incessantly tucking her hair behind her ears. "Great even, I'm great." She chanced a look up at me, and she let her bottom lip go, smiling as well. One thing was for damn sure; I was most definitely doing that again!

Jane announced she and Bella were leaving and I climbed up, holding my hand out for Bella. She took it, offering me a polite smile as I entwined her arm around my elbow. Emmett and Alice came out onto the porch and said their goodbyes to Bella. Emmett's goodbye included a full on bear hug with above ground elevation as he lifted her.

And Alice's was a cold handshake. Bella tried not to laugh when Alice handed her a catalogue for a furniture store that specialized in importing one of a kind pieces. Bella smiled courteously, thanked Alice for the brochure and offered my sister full use of an apothecary table that her Nana Swan had left her that looked very similar to the one in our house if she wanted a matching set, and then added that she still had the authenticity papers to prove it's age. I wanted to high five her.

I led Bella off the porch as she waved one last time at Emmett. "Your brother is so entertaining," Bella said happily as we slowly walked towards her Aunt's car. I kept my other hand firmly placed over her's as we walked, loving the way her skin felt under my touch.

"Oh, Emmett? Yeah, he has his moments." I smiled down at her.

Just before we reached Jane's car she stopped me, pulling her hand from my elbow as she scratched her head. I once again hid my hurt. "I just wanted to say that…what happened before," she pointed towards the swing, speaking quietly so only I could hear. "I just wanted you to know….that's….that, that's not…I don't do shit like that."

I smiled at her cussing and looked down at the ground, tucking my hands into my pockets nervously. That's right, this girl made me nervous. I stepped closer to her so she had no choice but to look up at me from under her dazzlingly long lashes. "You mean to say you don't normally make out with boys on swing seats? Why Bella, I'm shocked." I smiled with my tongue between my teeth to let her know I was only joking.

She blushed and a bashful smile came to her face. "I know…okay…I know. I just…I don't want you to think that I'm…that I normally do things like that." _Oh, my little lamb._ She was so innocent. I wanted to ruin her in the best possible way. But alas, she wasn't looking to be ruined in any sort of way, she wanted a prince.

I reached my hand up, ignoring the 'you're-touching-Bella-without-permission-again' alarm and let my knuckles gently glide down her cheek before I held the side of her neck in my hand. "Bella, I would never think of you any other way, or perceive you to be anything but what you are…Bella…beautiful Bella, my _Little Bell_." I winked at her, referencing the song from earlier. God, I could work this shit so well I was beginning to fool myself. I then leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss against her forehead.

Jane then took it upon herself to hurry us along, hollering Bella's name so loud I'm sure the neighbors would have heard it, which was no small feat seeing as the nearest neighbor was over a mile away. I took her hand, leading her over to the car as I opened her door for her, taking a step back so she could get in. She lifted her dress up her thighs and sat down. It was then I noticed the way she left her legs open as she looked up at me. "See you, Edward." She smiled up at me.

But fuck if I was listening, my eyes were trained between her legs.

She smirked, shook her head and put her legs together, pulling them into the car as she shut the door. I was shocked in place as the car reversed and pulled out of the driveway. My mouth was open and I could barely comprehend my parents telling me they were going inside. And I barely realized when Emmett came to stand beside me. "Bro? Are you alright?" he asked, slapping me a little too hard on the back. But it did the trick. "What happened? You look like you saw a fuckin' ghost!" he laughed.

I looked up at him, finally releasing a breath I wasn't aware I'd been holding. "Not a ghost Em, definitely not a ghost."

"What's up?" he asked, curious as ever.

I ran a hand through my hair and bit down on my labret ring. "I could be wrong, but…but I'm pretty sure Bella just flashed me."

Emmett frowned, "Flashed you? Miss Bella? What are you talking about?"

I scratched the back of my head, ruffling my hair up again. "No I'm serious…I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure I know what I fucking saw."

"What'd she flash you?" he asked moving his hands as if she was cupping breasts or gliding down hips.

I swallowed, gripped my hair in my hands and swallowed the lump in my throat, wishing the now painful ache of my rock hard cock being pressed against my zipper would fuck off. "Bella wasn't wearing underwear…and I'm certain I just saw fucking Brazil."

**To Be Continued…**

_a/n: If you didn't understand that last part, you're too young to be reading this. It's rated NC 17 for a reason. I'm getting there. Just remember, it hasn't even been 24 hours since these two kids met but it's all necessary._

_So, a lot of you out there are reading, but you're not reviewing. Which makes me sad. Review if it's bad, review if it's good. Just review at all times. I appreciate it greatly. And I try and respond to all. =]_

_Reviews get you your own Edward Orange Juice fetcher…maybe you can lick it off his chest…_


	5. Scene Five

**Disclaimer:**_** All things twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. All things Shakespearean belong to William Shakespeare. All things fictional belong to RainerNight. **_

_A/N: Thanks to everyone who's faved, alerted or reviewed this story. It means the world to me._

_To anyone who can make me a blinky for this story to put over on the twilight forum for peoples siggies, help?_

_Thanks to Beth (my beta)._

_Happy Valentine's Day, lovers!_

_And away we go..._

**TO SEE WHAT I HAVE SEEN  
SCENE 5**

**Bella**

_Silence staring me in the face_

_And I finally heard its voice_

_Seemed to softly say_

_That in love you have no choice_

_Today I got the answer_

_And there's a world of truth behind it_

_Love is out there waiting somewhere_

_You just have to go and find it_

_**I Believe in Love: The Dixie Chicks**_

--

_I'm a tramp._

_I, Bella Swan, do solemnly swear that I can now officially claim my title as a tramp. _

_I am a dirty, filthy tramp and now Edward will never want me._

_I'm a tramp._

That was all I could think as I sat quietly in the passenger seat of the Dunkin Donuts-mobile as Aunt Jane rambled on about how wonderful the Cullen's were, and 'what good people they'd turned out to be' and how I 'would be lucky to bag a guy like Edward Cullen, even if it was for just a night'. Great, my Aunt thought I was a tramp too.

_Better open your legs and let the world love you Bella, because that's the only way anyone ever will. _

I immediately felt sick. What in the name of fuck was I thinking? Flashing him!? Since when does flashing a boy, after telling them that you're 'not that kind of girl' seem like a good freakin' idea? What the hell was I thinking? Guys like Edward Cullen don't want girls who flash them in his driveway! He was well mannered; a total gentleman. He kissed girls on the hand and recited Shakespeare. He was smart and he played musical instruments like they were beautiful women and he was bloody Casanova. He was so polite it made your teeth hurt.

I'd judged him totally wrong. When he first came into the store I thought for sure he was on drugs because of the way he spoke in riddles. It was either drugs or he was just ridiculously drunk. I'd mistaken his piercings for lack of knowledge and rebellion. I now learned they were part of his individuality. As if the absurdly amazing hair color wasn't enough to be remembered, he'd gone and put holes in his face and ears. But I couldn't lie, the piercing felt amazing against my lips.

I felt a small smile tug at my mouth as I pulled my fingers up to the spot where his piercing had pressed against me, cold, hard and perfect. And I wasn't against the plugs either. They suited him. I had a feeling there might've been a little bit of rebellion involved with his piercings. I let the feeling of how his lips had felt on mine keep me in a state of nirvana for a little while longer. Aunt Jane dropped me off, thanking me for my company although she claimed_ I_ should've been thanking _her_ as she winked and pulled away from the curb. _Cheeky shit._

I took a deep breath and headed up to the front door, letting myself in. I had a brief talk to my dad about dinner but he was too enthralled with the late night talk show that was on. My dad was funny like that. If his buddies came over, he pretended to watch football games and fishing shows. He hated watching the sports channel. The second they left or if he and I were the only ones home, he'd flick to the entertainment channel. Now, let me set the record straight: my Dad is not gay. He isn't, I have proof of that. His girlfriend, Charlotte Birdie, who worked at the local high school, is proof. They were sickeningly cute together. They'd been dating for about a year so far, and I was happy there was someone to make my Dad happy, seeing as I was so busy all the time. He just had an overt interest in entertainment news and talk shows. Don't judge him, he has three guns.

I made my way up to my room and tried to concentrate on studying which failed terribly when I began to wonder what Edward would look like perched on my desk. I then tried to rearrange my CD collection, but that didn't work when I then began to wonder what sort of music Edward liked to make love to, and then my thoughts turned to whether he did in fact make love or whether he fucked or whether he did either hard and fast or soft and gentle. The dampness between my legs was just made worse when I jumped into a cold shower and then began to wonder what Edward would look like naked pressing me up against the glass wall. So I gave the shower head a work out, panted, ached and released as the water ran over me, Edward's name spilling from my lips.

I dried my hair with a towel and headed back into my room, changing into a small pair of exercise shorts and a crop top. My father had an air conditioning unit put in and since he felt the cold so easily he kept it cranked high which meant I spent my time at home in blistering heat in front of the fan that sat in the corner of my room. I fell down on the bed, staring up at my ceiling.

I still couldn't believe what I'd done. He'd never talk to me again, let alone look at me. And he'd been so charming as well. It was almost as if he'd stepped out of a romance novel. The mysterious male lead who kept you intrigued every word you read. And I was intrigued, dangerously so. I reached over to my nightstand and flicked off my bedside lamp. I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling again.

Sleep wasn't going to arrive any time soon - that I knew for sure. My thoughts were erratic, lingering on Edward far too often and for far too long. It was impossible for me to switch off at all. I'd actually resigned myself to a night of no sleep when I heard a noise outside my bedroom window. It was a scraping noise, followed by a light tapping. I ruled it out as an animal from the nearby forest surrounding the house, until I heard the animal swear.

"…the fuck!" cussed an obviously male whisper from the other side of the glass pane. I was on the second floor of the house so I should not have been able to hear anyone who was outside my window. And who the heck would be outside my window at this time of night!? It was almost midnight and Charlie would be in bed by now.

I rolled over on the bed, reaching underneath it to grab my dad's baseball bat that I kept under there for an occasion such as this. I gripped the handle tightly and slid off the bed, crouching as I crept my way over to the window, peering over the window sill. I couldn't see a thing just some movement in the tree opposite my window.

_Who the hell spies on the daughter of the chief of police?_

I was determined to find out. I stood up, pulling the window up making sure the baseball bat was visible in my hands, "Who's out there!? You're a moron if you think spying on me is a good idea! Show yourself!"

Silence surrounded me for a moment before a rustle in the tree was heard. "…well- shit," the same voice stammered.

"I can hear you, idiot!" I whispered, wishing my eyes had some sort of night vision. "Either you show yourself or get the fuck out of my tree!" I was trying to sound forceful and threatening. I doubt it was working though.

"Move back, Bella!" the voice said again and I gasped. It's not good sign if the peeping tom knows my name, right?

"You know my name!? You sick freak!" I accused, feeling the anger boil in my blood.

"Bella! It's Edward!" he laughed, leaning forward more so I could see his face in the moonlight. "Move back so I can come in. I'm gonna fall out of this tree soon and break my neck."

_It's Edward? The man in my tree spying on me while I sleep is Edward?_ The thoughts began reeling in my head. It'd only been hours since I'd last seen him. What could be so important that he'd climb a tree just to sneak in? I have a cell phone, I have Facebook. Surely there was another way. "W-wh-wh-what are you doing?"

"Move back, Bella! Gravity's not my friend right now!" Edward said louder and I cringed, hoping my Dad didn't hear him. I stumbled back and watched as his figure crawled along the tree branch before he sprung into my bedroom, landing lithely on my rug before he straightened up. He grinned coyly at me, waving with his right hand. "Evening, Isabella."

He'd changed since I last saw him. He was now wearing a white v-neck t-shirt and loose-fitting grey jeans. The only thing that hadn't changed was the black converse sneakers that still adorned his feet.

He ran a hand through his hair and looked around my room and then back at me. He smiled at the baseball bat that I still had a death grip on. "You were going to use that on me when I attacked weren't you?" he laughed.

I put my finger to his lips. "Shh! My Dad's in the house you know. If he hears you we're both dead - well, mostly you, but still." I rolled the bat under my bed and crossed my floor to the window, closing it. I turned back to him, perching on the window sill. "What are you doing here?"

He ran his hand through his hair, tugging at the odd bronze colored strands and grimaced. "I'm sorry for doing this, I know this must be concerning for you."

I nodded, "I don't normally have men crawling through my window, so yes, this is a bit concerning." Although he probably thought that I did seeing as I'm a vagina flashing tramp.

He gestured to the bed. "Will you sit, listen to me? You're making me nervous standing over there." I eyed the bed, looking at it nervously. "Oh, I'll be sitting here." He smiled, pulling the chair out from under my desk, turning it to face the bed.

I smiled and nodded, heading over to the bed. I watched him lower himself into my blue wood chair and tried not to dwell on the fact he looked gorgeous doing so. I reached over and turned on the lamp that sat on my desk and aimed it at the wall so it wasn't glaring us in the face before I sat back.

"So…" He leaned his elbow on the desk and smirked at me, his head tilted to the side in an adorable manner. I tried not to linger any attention on his lips, but the light was making his labret ring sparkle and it was harder than it should've been. "I guess you're wondering why I'm here?"

I shrugged, "Thought has crossed my mind." _…and my lips and my hoo-ha._

He took a deep breath and moved, resting his elbows on his knees so his face was lingering near mine. "I tried to sleep but that didn't work. I fooled around on my computer for awhile but that wasn't enough. So I got on my motorcycle, and here I am."

I caught his eyes with mine to find he was being completely earnest, and then something caught my attention. "Wait, you ride a motorcycle?" _A motorcycle?_ _That is so unbelievably…sexy._ Also surprising, maybe Edward Cullen wasn't what he first seemed.

He nodded, "I own two actually." He smiled sheepishly. "I hope that doesn't change your view of me at all." He looked up at me through his lashes and I felt myself blush under his gaze. He could do that so easily. He just looked so devastating when he looked at me like that.

I shook my head, "No, of course not. It's a little…surprising, given the way you were acting at dinner, but I'm beginning to believe you're not as innocent or as suave as you first appeared."

He laughed at this, cupping his hand over his mouth to mute the laughing. "I…" he seemed to struggle to find the correct words as he looked back at me. "I think I need to apologize to you."

I arched an eyebrow at him, "Do you think you did something worthy of an apology?" Now I was really intrigued, "Apart from freaking the shit out of me and molesting my tree." I smirked, trying to lighten the situation.

He smirked at my try at humor and a sparkle came to his eyes, "I apologize to your tree than. I didn't realize my touch was so unwanted by your…flora." He flinched at what he said, obviously not wanting to come across as lame as he was. But I didn't mind, it was nice to have someone to be lame with. "Anyway…" He laughed awkwardly, looking up at me again. "…I do believe my actions are worth an apology."

I nodded slowly, wringing my hands in my lap. "Well, by all means, explain?"

Edward cleared his throat and stood up, pacing the floor in front of me in a rather endearing creep so he wouldn't wake Charlie who we could hear snoring like a chainsaw through the bedroom walls. "I need to apologize to you if…tonight at dinner I was…I need to make sure you know…" he began to say, obviously frustrated by what little sense he made.

"Woah," I held my hands up. "Slow down, Edward. We're not running a race here."

He nodded and stopped his creeping and knelt down in front of me. "I want you to know that I think you're amazing." He spoke, and against my beliefs, I sensed no sarcasm in his voice. "You're beautiful, and intelligent and funny." He smiled. "My brother adores you, my mother wants to keep you and my father's threatened by you and your Aunt."

"Threatened?" I questioned, the happiness leaving my face. "Why would he feel that way?"

Edward shrugged and tried to show me it wasn't really a big deal. "He just witnessed firsthand how charismatic and charming and intelligent you and your aunt are and how you've obviously got something going on with your store, but that's not what I'm here to talk about."

I frowned but let him continue anyway. Clearly, now was not the time to talk about the store situation.

"I think you're…stunning," he spoke, reaching out to grip my hand in his and I felt a bolt of…something run through me at his touch alone. "But I haven't been completely honest with you." He withdrew his hand and looked down at the carpet, going silent.

I thought about what he'd said and let the worst case scenarios flash through my mind at lightning speed. And then my mouth ran away with me, "Are you gay or something?" I questioned, tensing up on my bed.

He looked up at me alarmingly fast, his eyes wide and his eyebrows creased. "What? Gay? That's the conclusion you got?" He climbed to his feet and looked down at me in complete disbelief.

"What?" I asked, standing in front of him as he began his stupid creeping pace again. "I just…well…what was I supposed to think? You're acting all mysterious and trying to sugar coat whatever it is you're going to say by telling me how awesome I am. It sounded like you were letting me down gently."

He shook his head profusely, looking at me as if I had just escaped from a mental institute. "Are you insane?" _Point proven._ "Let you down? Why would I ever do that?" He stopped creepy pacing again and stepped to me, cupping a cheek in his calloused fingers. "I just…I haven't been honest with you… in the respect that…the man you met at dinner…the man who seemed charming, and debonair, and suave as you put it…" He trailed off and ran his free hand through his hair nervously.

"What about it, Edward? You can tell me."

He took another shaky breath in and met my eyes again. "That's not the real me."

I stared up at him, letting my head tilt to the right as I thought about what he's said. So the charming man I'd met at dinner with the strange colored hair and the piercing green eyes who was polite, well mannered, intelligent and assertive wasn't who he actually was? That the man who'd immediately taken me in the second he walked in the front door of his house and kissed me on the hand like we were in a black and white movie wasn't actually the man I'd been led to believe he was? "What do you mean that's not the real you?"

He let my hand fall from my cheek and he took a step back. "I'm not the squeaky clean, polite, family-oriented guy that I let you see."

I gripped the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger and continued my quest to wrap my head around whatever the fuck it was he was actually saying to me. "So…if you aren't that guy…then who are you?"

He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at his sneakers. "I'm not someone you should know," he said gently, and all of a sudden alarm bells went off in my head.

"Okay, Edward if this is where you bring out the revolver and prepare to shoot me if I don't suck your dick or whatever, I strongly suggest you don't because my father is a powerful man and I can scream like a banshee on command…"

"No, no Bella," Edward chuckled, stepping forward and holding his hands up as a sign of surrender. "That's not what I meant at all. Let me see how to put this." He circled the floor and then sat back down at the desk again.

"For a literary major you're not very eloquent," I mumbled, sitting down on the bed. "Unless that's what you mean." My posture perked up. "You're not really studying Shakespeare?"

"What? Of course I'm studying Shakespeare. You think most guys my age can quote Hamlet on request? Not likely." I couldn't help but laugh at his tone. He actually seemed quite put out by the fact I thought he wasn't studying WS. Edward caught my grin and grinned himself. "I'm sorry. I just get touchy when people doubt my major. When I tell some people about my love of Shakespeare they look down at me as if I'm not smart enough to possibly know anything about literature at all, based on the fact I have a few piercings and I ride a Harley Davidson." He shrugged, looking embarrassed.

"I get the opposite. When I tell people I'm majoring in Shakespeare they wave it off like it's typical of me to be studying something they deem to be so boring." I played with the threads of my comforter. "But I love Shakespeare. I just do. His words have been ingrained in me ever since I was young. It was the only choice my mother made for me that I haven't learned to resent. Every sonnet, every play I've read countless times and each time I find something new to fall in love with."

I snuck a look under my lashes up at Edward who was looking back at me with a serene look on his face, half of his face hidden in shadow, but the half I could see, was stunning.

"_And so of you, beauteous and lovely youth. When that shall vade, my verse distills your truth._"The words left my lips before I'd evenhad the chance to rein them in. I let my hand fly to my mouth as I looked away from his beauty, but I didn't miss the wide grin that spread across his face.

"I see I'm not the only one who quotes Shakespeare on a whim," he teased. "I have to say, it's incredibly erotic watching your lips say his words."

My eyes snapped back to his, expecting to see the teasing in his eyes. But it was gone. His last words were sincere and I felt a lump rise in my throat. "Erotic?"I croaked.

He nodded, shifting forward to lean on his elbows again, his face looming closer to mine again. "Erotic." He let his head fall to the side as he reached out, pulling my fingers into his. "You seem surprised by that."

I laughed, "Yeah, of course I am. Erotic and Shakespeare aren't really two things I link together. Well…until I met…" My laughter ceased as I met his eyes again; vivid green and vibrant. "…you," I whispered.

"Me?" he whispered, leaning in closer, his eyes dropping down to my lips. I felt my heart rate increase and my chest was heaving with the depth of my breathing and Edward was the cause. "You should know I find it incredibly attractive when a woman is smarter than I am." He lifted his hand, twirling a stray strand of hair around his fingers. "And I have a feeling I may have met my match with you."

I swallowed, finding my voice. "Is that a bad thing?"

He was only inches away from me and I could feel his breath on my face. He smelt of cigarettes and breath mints. It was intoxicating in the best possible way. "It's a good thing, Bella; definitely a good thing," he whispered before he moved in, pressing his lips to mine and I was home again.

The softness of his lips was inviting and warm and the coolness of his labret ring pressing against the middle of my bottom lip was a surprisingly welcome sensation. His taste was so delicious, so potent I wanted more. My body wanted more, my mind wanted more of him and I couldn't think rationally. All I could think about was the incomparable man attached to me and how I wanted him to encompass me in every single way.

My fingers reached out, blindly grabbing at his t-shirt. I gripped the material tightly in my hand and pulled, hoping he'd catch on. And being the smart man he was, he did. I moved back on my bed, waiting for his body to rest over mine, and when it did I moaned into his mouth feeling his hardness and weight pressed on top of me. He pulled back, holding his weight up with his hands. "How is it that you fit so perfectly with me?" He didn't wait for an answer before he pressed his lips back to mine, cupping my face in his right hand.

He pried my lips apart with his tongue and devoured me entirely. And I was okay with it. His hands danced over my body and I tangled my own in his hair, tugging at the strands as I met his tongue with my own. All I could feel was Edward, soft, warm and perfect. And mine.

_Mine? _

Yes.

Mine.

He lay on his back, running his fingers up and down my arm as I cuddled myself against his chest, tracing invisible patterns against the skin of his chest. At some point during our heavy petting I'd had the fabulous idea that it would be better if Edward was shirtless so I wasted no time in pulling his shirt up and over his head.

The sight of his skin and his toned muscles underneath was like nothing I'd ever seen before. The only other guys I'd seen shirtless were the boys down at the reservation and the boys from high school. The reservation guys were all muscular and toned and tanned but they were like my brothers, there was nothing sexual about them at all. And the boys from back at high school were…small, and awkward.

And then there was Edward.

Edward was perfect. His skin was pale, accentuating the smooth lines of his toned chest that led down to the faintly defined outline of his abs and that V that pointed straight down, disappearing underneath his jeans. That V. I was going to have dreams about that V.

"Are you okay?" he whispered into my ear, hugging me closer against his body.

I nodded, moving my head into the crook of his neck, kissing the skin there. The faint smell of cologne wafted off his skin, sending my brain into fog. "I'm amazing," I said against his skin. He moved to kiss my forehead and I sighed contently at his movement. "Why am I so comfortable with you, Edward?"

He pulled my left hand into his right, clasping them together. I moved my head so I could watch our hands. "I don't know. It's like a feeling I had when I came into the store earlier today."

"When you quoted Hamlet?" I teased. He squeezed my waist playfully and kissed my hair.

"Yes, I'm still quite touchy about that, don't bring it up."

"Touchy? Are you embarrassed, Edward?" I leaned up on my elbows to see his face. He smirked up at me; his eyes alight like a small child, playful and carefree.

"It was a douche move and I apologize profusely for doing that to you. I can't imagine how that would've looked from your side of the fence, but from my side I fear I came off as a bit of an asshole." He squeezed my hand tightly in his and leaned up, kissing my cheek.

I tried not to giggle. _What was it with this boy that had me turning to mush at his feet? _It was unsettling for me to be taken so quickly and so fully by a man that I'd known for less than 24 hours. "This is unlike me." I let my head rest against his chest again, listening to his heartbeat.

"I hope you know, Bella, this is unlike me as well." Edward's hands rubbed my back gently, his fingers teetering along my skin every so often as if he was playing a silent melody. "There are things I have to tell you, Isabella." His voice grew serious and I felt the lump rise up in my throat again.

"What?" I asked quietly.

"I'm not polite, I actually happen to be quite crude, crass and I swear a lot. I'm not family-oriented. When my father gave me and my siblings the opportunity to open a store I was against the idea. I didn't feel I had to prove anything to him or to my family members and I'm afraid that I'm also materialistic because all it took for me to say yes was a brand new Harley Davidson key in my hand and the motorcycle sitting in the garage.

"I don't normally hold doors open for girls or pull their chairs out. I guess the amount of literature I've read has given me an unrealistic view of how I should treat women so to compensate for that I go to the extreme in the opposite direction. I'm actually a bit of an asshole I guess."

"Why are you telling me this, Edward?"

He moved his arm from around me and pulled himself from my grip to perch on the edge of the bed. "I don't know what's happening between us. But I feel it." I sat up, facing his back as he spoke. "I hope you feel it too."

"I do."

"I feel as if I know you already. I have no questions for you because I feel like I've met you before. And I don't know what that means but it's something I can't ignore. I came here tonight because I had to be near you." He craned his head to look at me and I saw the honesty in his eyes. "At any cost, I had to be near you. I only ever want to be near you, from now on."

I reached out, wrapping my arms around his waist. "What's happening here?"

He turned his head to look at me, holding my cheek in his hand. "The strangest part of this entire thing is that, the feelings I have for you don't seem new. It's as if I've always felt this way about you but it wasn't obvious until I saw you."

"What are you saying, Edward?" I was breathless, concentrating solely on the words he was saying. It sounded absurd. I was a woman of quite high intelligence and his words should've sounded insane, impossible and completely unrealistic. But for some reason, I believed him.

"My feelings for you are so strong Bella, impalpable but strong. I don't want to scare you away. I don't want you to perceive me in a light that isn't reflective of the way I actually am. I want you to believe me when I tell you…" He reached up, cupping both of my cheeks in his hands. "…do you trust me?"

I looked into his eyes, and saw nothing but, dare I say it, love.

I saw love; strong, impenetrable hope and love in his eyes.

I nodded gently, "I trust you with my life."

He smiled and leaned in, pressing his lips gently to mine in a chaste kiss. He pulled back an inch and I let my eyes flutter back open to look into his. He took a deep breath and in a soft whisper, he put his heart in my hands. "I love you, Bella."

I let his words float through me, the warmth spreading through my veins. This felt right. This was real. This was happening and I believed him. I pressed my lips against his. "I love you too."

**To Be Continued…**

_A/N: I'm really quite nervous about this chapter. It's a big step with my characters, and you have to remember it hasn't even been 24 hours. If this seems out of character for these two, let me know what you think. I'd love to know._

_So yeah, I'm a bit nervous. Scared shitless, actually._

_Reviews are good._

_=]_

_-Rain_


	6. Scene Six

_**Disclaimer: All things Twilight belong to Stephanie Meyer. All things Shakespearean belong to William Shakespeare. All things fictional belong to RainerNight. **_

_a/n: The chapter that took a year. Sorry for the delay._

_Thanks to my beta Beth._

_And away we go..._

**TO SEE WHAT I HAVE SEEN  
SCENE 6**

**Edward**

_Talking in circles_

_Walking in circles_

_If I could take away all of your pain_

_Cos oh she moves me_

_She don't look right through me_

_Reaches my core_

_And I'll wait_

_I'll wait until she is sure_

_She chose me_

_And I chose her_

_Nothing compares_

_She Moves Me: Sam Bradley_

--

"Isabella…Isabella, my Little Bell," I whispered into the curve of her neck, trying to wake her from her peaceful slumber just enough to say goodbye. I pressed a kiss against her jaw and inhaled her scent down to her collarbone where I pressed my lips again. "Little Bell, my Bella, wake up."

She stirred, rolling onto her side away from my lips. I smiled as she groaned and sat up slightly, craning her head back to look at me through thin lidded eyes. "Why are you waking me up?" she whispered, her voice groggy with sleep. The sexiest I'd heard it yet. My eyes then wandered down to the soft skin of her back where her shirt had ridden up.

I reached out, trying to give her some modesty and to help extinguish the strain in my groin and not tempt my already rocky restraint. "I have to go, love." I reached up then, grazing my fingers through her hair to shift the softness to the side. She moved to face me, allowing me to cradle her head in my palm.

I smiled down at her, watching as she wiped the sleep from her eyes adorably. "I have…I have to work this morning." She yawned, stifling her tiredness with her hand. She was the most gorgeous creature I'd ever come across. I almost felt guilty that I'd woken her, but with her sass and mouth able to speak as well as having her beauty to admire I bid those feelings a fond farewell almost immediately.

Listen to me. I was beginning to repulse myself with how mushy I sounded all of a sudden. 24 hours ago you never would have caught me whispering sweet nothings into the nape of a young beauties neck unless it was in the throes of passion and I was telling her how tight her pussy was. And yes, I was that crass about it. But here I was, being sweet and sentimental with a woman I'd only just met.

Instant sickness welled in my stomach and I sat up, moving away from her. Her brown doe eyes gazed at me, her curved eyebrow arching in response to my retreat. "What's wrong?" she asked, reaching out to touch my arm. I looked down where our skin was touching and felt bile rise in my throat.

"Who am I to say I love you? Who am I to decide that you should love me in return? Why do I deserve you at all?" I know, I sounded like an idiot. But this was heavy shit for me. Love was an otherworldly mirage. I'd only ever known it in its purest form, the love of a parent for their child and vice versa. But this, this was definitely not pure. The thoughts I was having about Bella in regards to love were definitely not fucking pure. I was brought out of my pity by Bella removing her hand from my arm. I turned to look at her and just as I did a great big pillow came into my vision, smacking me straight in the face. "Ow!" I reached up, grabbing my face.

"Don't you dare, Edward Cullen!" Bella scolded. Her voice was no louder than a whisper but the ferocity in her tone was enough to send my tail straight between my legs. "Don't you dare take this from me! Don't question this! I have no idea what's going on between us but I'm not about to sit and ponder reasons why I don't deserve you. We're not playing that game. It's far too early and things as good as this are few and far between to dwell on reasons why we shouldn't. All I need is one reason why I should."

I looked down at my legs and nodded. "I'm sorry, Bella," I sighed. I really was pathetic. But I didn't deserve her love at all. I'd tried desperately to convey to her how little I did deserve her but in the midst of the overwhelming feelings I had I was afraid I'd failed at that. Crawling through her window last night, my original _want_ was to just see her. All I wanted was to see her again and be around her. When she left the house I couldn't get her out of my mind and after our little trip to Brazil it was impossible for me to stay the fuck away. Sure, that animalistic male part of me had come for one reason, but the other part of me, the part I so greatly wanted to shine through just wanted to be around her.

Bella scooted forward on her knees and wrapped her arms around my upper body, leaning her chin on my shoulder beside my head. "I know there's a lot we need to talk about still. And we can talk about this; this can all be worked out. But know that I meant what I said last night. I love you, Edward. I'm not sure why or how but inevitably, I do."

I smiled as the words left her lips, followed by my name. My name had never sounded as sweet as it did falling from her lips. Like a fucking pussy, my heart skipped a beat. "_Who could refrain that had a heart to love and in that heart courage to make love known?_" I smirked quite smugly.

"You quote Macbeth. You do recall what he's talking about when he says that?"

I nodded, chuckling quietly to myself. _I am the worlds' biggest douche. _"I know, the words out of context are just as poignant though, you have to admit, whether I'm referring to murder or not."

I heard her chuckle breathily in my ear as she squeezed me tighter in her arms. "I'll let you know every hour of every day if you'll let me," she whispered, her breath against my neck sending shivers down my fucking spine.

I turned in my seat, wrapping my own right arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against me, "Only if you'll let me reciprocate."

She smiled, leaning in to press a chaste kiss against my unworthy lips. "I'll always want your love."

I smiled, leaning in to steal another kiss. "Always is a very long time." I was trying to listen to her. I was trying not to dwell on the absurdity of the situation. Of the unfairness to her that I was letting her love me when she, in reality, had no real idea who I was. But I'd done all I could do and I was selfish, because although I could push her away, a rather large part of me didn't want to.

-_-_-_-

I left Bella's place just after 6 and somehow managed to climb down her tree without falling and breaking my fucking ass. I watched her in her window until I had to turn the corner. I ran down the side alley to where I had hidden my bike in a hedge. I was half shocked it hadn't been fuckin stolen what with all the asshole miscreants I knew existed in the shithole that is Forks, WA. I pulled my helmet from the little compartment in the back and climbed on, revving it to life. The air was crisp so early in the morning but it was refreshing and inviting after being warm against Bella's side for so long.

I arrived home and parked my bike in the side of the garage. I wasn't surprised to see everyone's cars there, it was still early and it was a Sunday morning. I took my helmet off, swinging my leg over the bike before I headed towards the house, pushing my helmet up off my head and bounded up the front porch steps. I was just about to unlock the front door when it opened. Alice's glare greeted me on the other side.

"Christ, Alice!" I gripped my chest and scolded her in a harsh whisper. She was always fucking sneaking up on me and shit like that. "You scared the crap out of me! What are you doing up!?"

Her perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose in obvious contempt. _What the fuck did I do? _"Where have you been all night, Edward?" she inquired, crossing her arms over her chest and continuing to scowl.

"You can't seriously be doing what I think you're doing. Where I was is none of your business, Alice." I pushed past her, stepping into the house. I opened the closet and shed my jacket and helmet before I closed it. "Oh, shit woman!" I snarled, turning to find Alice still standing there disapprovingly. "Make noise or something. Shit."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me where you were." She was now drumming her long plastic nails on her forearm.

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms, a larger mirror image of my small, silly little sister. "Where I was is none of your business. You can follow me everywhere for the next week and I'm still not going to tell you, so save your lectures, it's nothing to do with you." I reached out and patted a condescending hand on her head.

She was practically fuming as I turned towards the kitchen. _Not my fucking __fault__. _ I had a smug smile on my face until a voice from the top of the stairs cut me out of my victory. "He was with a girl last night, Alice." The booming voice was then followed by Emmett bouncing down the stairs, a large shit-eating grin on his face.

I snuck a look at Emmett and sighed as he stopped at the bottom of the stairs, leaning over the banister still grinning antagonistically at me. He had a knack for doing that. But I guess that's what big brothers were meant to fucking do.

"You were with a girl!? What girl!? You just moved here!!" Alice screeched. I pinched the bridge of my nose between my fingers and turned towards Emmett. "You can't possibly know anyone enough to have them let you stay the night! I thought you were giving up this sleeping around nonsense! You're better than this!"

I took a deep breath. Ignoring Alice I turned to Emmett. "Remind me of this day when you ask for four consecutive years why I haven't given you any birthday or Christmas presents, okay?" I reached up, punching his arm which left little to no effect on his large stature. I turned to stare down my sister. I was sick of her attitude. I loved her because I had to but a lot of the time I didn't fucking like her. "I'm not going to say this again, Alice, because I love you and I don't like being mad at you. Stay the fuck out of my business, okay?"

She frowned and crossed her arms even closer to her chest, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. "Why won't you just tell me? You've had no trouble gloating about your past conquests? What makes this one any different?"

I cringed at her honesty. I really didn't deserve Bella. I was dirty, unclean, disgusting. I wished I'd seen how repulsing I was before it was too late, before there was no place for redemption. And if my own family members had such a negative fucking view of me then it would only be a matter of time for Bella to see me for what I really was...who I really was. I shook my head at her, eyeing my brother at the same time. "I can't tell you, not yet." I shrugged and headed through to the kitchen, hoping like hell that neither one of them would follow me. They didn't, much to my surprise.

I made myself a couple of pieces of toast and poured myself a hot cup of coffee before I climbed up onto a stool at the kitchen counter, pulling the newspaper towards me. I bit into my honey toast and chewed. Just as I finished up one slice my dad came into the room, eyeing me carefully as he made himself some food. He leaned back against the counter once he got his coffee and tilted his head, his eyes washing of me with concern. "Alice told me you didn't come home last night?" I tried to hide my eye roll but I wasn't entirely sure it worked. Dad chuckled, shaking his head in a knowing way. "I know I know Alice can be a bit…high maintenance sometimes but she only pries so much because she cares."

This time I didn't try and hide my eye roll. "She pries because she's nosy dad. I have no interest in telling her so if she sent you in here to get it out of me you can forget it too." I winked at him and he chuckled, shrugging his shoulders as he took another sip of his drink.

"I have no ulterior motives for being in here other than this coffee and that business section." He held his free hand up before he reached forward, trying to get the paper from under my forearm. He sighed noticing I wasn't about to give him the paper like he wanted. "Okay fine, I have to admit I am a tad interested." He ran his hand through his still slick blond hair. Sometimes I wondered if he slept with fucking hair product in or some shit. It was always fucking shiny.

I chuckled at his honesty, looking up at him. "No, you're just as curious as everyone else in this house."

He smiled and nodded his head. "Yes, okay I am curious. It just hasn't been like you to stay out all night since we moved here. I just wondered which female has you entranced enough to want to stay with her all night." His eyebrows rose inquisitively as he nonchalantly sipped at his coffee to hide his smirk.

I shook my head with a laugh, thoroughly entertained by my father and the fact he was more like Alice than he'd ever like to admit to. I took a sip of my own drink and followed it with a deep calming breath. "If I tell you where I was, you have to promise me two things." I met his eyes so he could see my sincerity.

He nodded his head profusely, his eyes going wide with excitement like a little kid in a candy store. He put his mug down so I could see his sincerity, "Of course, anything." His lips were tight as if he was forcing himself not to say what he truly felt and I tried to hide my smile.

I wasn't planning on telling anyone about Bella and me. But it was too overwhelming. I had to tell someone. I could've told Esme, but mother had a niche for telling Alice any juicy thing she found out. She was by no means a gossip, but I don't think she quite caught the grasp of what confidential really meant. I could tell Emmett but that man would use any ammo I gave him against me and I was in no mood for his constant taunting, it was exhausting. And of course, Alice was just out of the fucking question, straight up.

My father was the only option left.

"You can't tell anyone what I tell you." I told him. "You have to promise me that what I tell you will not leave this room."

He nodded immediately, "Most definitely."

"You can't even tell mom."

He mimed zipping his lips and smiled at me. I was surprised he didn't salute or some shit like that. My dad was lame like that. Awesome but lame.

"Okay. Lastly, you can't judge me."

His smile disappeared and he tilted his head. I had a feeling I did the same thing when I was thinking. I guess I had my dad to thank for that rather endearing fucking trait. "Why would I judge you?" he asked.

I took a deep breath and ran my hand through my hair. I had to tell him eventually, why not now? Maybe he could help me shed some light on this insanity. "I was with Bella last night." I immediately averted my eyes, toying with the edge of the paper nervously.

My father cleared his throat and clicked his nails on the side of his mug. His silence was fucking excruciating. It was the loudest it'd been for awhile which is saying something because silence often filled this house. It wasn't due to lack of people to make noise, or noise in general. Dad had noise proofing put in throughout the entire house before we moved down so very little filtered out of our respective rooms.

I think it was more of a privacy issue than a noise control thing. Emmett's a bit of a screamer. We learnt that very quickly. I looked up at my dad finally growing sick of the silence. His lips were pursed tightly to go along with the crease in his forehead and his eyes were troubled.

"What do you mean you were with Bella last night?" he asked. "We were all with Bella last night when she was here for dinner."

I let out an exasperated breath. Sometimes I wished these people could just read my fucking mind. It would make having to explain every damn thing to them much less painful. It wasn't that I wasn't eloquent or good with words it was just exhausting having to explain to people in terms they would be able to grasp. "I went out after dinner. You didn't hear me leave?"

Carlisle looked around the room, his eyes pensive in thought. "No, I don't recall hearing you leave." He bit his bottom lip and frowned curiously. "Hrmm…that is weird. I thought I would've heard your bike if you'd have snuck out."

I shook my head incredulously. "I didn't sneak out Dad I walked right out the front door. How much wine did you have last night?"

He scratched the back of his neck. "I have no idea. Obviously a bit more than I first thought. Or maybe it was the scotch…or the tequila shots your mother and I did while you kids cleaned up the dining room."

I laughed so hard I fucking snorted. "You and mom were shooting tequila? When did this go down!?"

Dad waved his hand, shaking his head. "No no, this isn't about me. Stop trying to change the subject." He waved his finger at me in a rather disciplinary way. It would never fucking work. "Did you go over to the poor girl's house in the middle of the night?"

I nodded.

"How? What happened? Her father is the chief of police! He might have a bad leg but he's got the aim of a fucking sniper. He could take you down in a split second. I wouldn't be surprised if he was cleaning his rifles when you were loitering outside his house. How did you get in?"

I ran a hand through my hair again. _How can I say this without sounding like a creepy fucking stalker? _"I hid my bike in her bush and climbed her tree than slid through her window." _Okay that wasn't it. I just sounded like the back of a porn DVD_.

Dad must've thought as I did because his face screwed up in disgust. "Ew." He squeaked, reaching forward to grab his mug again, possibly to distract him from my complete fucking idiocy.

"That wasn't what I meant." I was cringing now. A perfect reflection of dad's face. "I meant…okay it was what I meant it just…it wasn't supposed to sound so dirty."

Carlisle arched an eyebrow. "So what you're saying is that you didn't climb her tree?"

I shook my head, "No, I climbed her tree. And slid through her window. Okay please stop saying that. She let me into her house."

Carlisle nodded. "Bella…why of all the girls you could possibly go and see did you go and see her? I don't understand. I mean, your mother seems to think there was something going on between the two of you out on the front porch last night before we said goodbye to them but I don't know…am I wrong son?"

I met his eyes. "You missed a lot."

Dad reached forward, pulling a stool out from under the island before he climbed onto it, resting his elbows on the countertop. "Explain this to me, Edward. I don't seem to understand. You only met her yesterday is that correct?"

"Before you judge me, Dad, we didn't sleep together!" I made sure I got that in before he judged me just like he always did. "I can't even begin to explain what's happening between Bella and me. I don't even know where to start. It should be ludicrous, the thought alone doesn't made sense to me yet it's happened."

My dad held his hand up to stop me from talking. "What are you talking about? What's happening between you two?"

I sighed and tugged at my hair with my fingers. I was shaking and I didn't even realize. Was I even doing the right fucking thing by telling someone? I hadn't discussed this with Bella. What if she didn't want me to tell anyone? _Well, it's a bit late for that now._

"Edward," Dad leant forward even further along the counter. "What's going on?"

I sighed and felt my defenses disappear. "Sanity says I shouldn't…I can't feel any other way. The more I think about it the less sense it makes but the more I try and deny it the stronger it gets."

"Edward?"

"I love her, Dad." I looked into his eyes, showing him my honesty. "I love her more than I should. And I don't know what to do."

"You love her?"

I nodded. "I do."

"You haven't even known her for a day, Edward."

_Ladies and gentlemen, my father: the voice of reason._ "You think I don't know that!? You think it doesn't sound absolutely insane? In so many ways I hoped Bella would push me away when I went round. I tried to convince her that I wasn't the kind of man she should be getting involved with. I'm the worst kind of poison and I know that, but she doesn't so I tried to warn her."

"She feels the same way," he stated. It wasn't a question.

I nodded. "It's carless of me I know. But what am I to do? I should never have gone round there. I should never have let her know how I felt. It was selfish of me but…she's intoxicating dad. You've met her, you see it too. She's beautiful and alluring and witty and smart. I couldn't…I couldn't stay away. I am the worst kind of person."

Carlisle's hand reached out to touch my forearm where he gave it a gentle squeeze. "You shouldn't apologize for feeling this way. It does sound a bit farfetched seen as you two don't really know one another that well, but this kind of love does exist."

"Really?"

He nodded, taking his hand back. "It's happened before in this family…" A dreamy look washed over his face, which was really fucking weird to be honest. "…the day I met your mother."

"You loved her from the first time you saw her?"

"Yes, how could I not? You've seen her." He smiled and I tried not to show him how disgusting he was sounding. "She was sitting outside the campus cafeteria, sipping on a latte, reading a Danielle Steel novel with this look of absolute disgust on her face. She was radiant and intriguing and I just knew…I just knew I had to be close to her, under any circumstance."

And then it was as if a light bulb went on in his mind, and I knew he understood. "That's exactly how I feel. I had to be around her, under any circumstance."

Dad took a deep breath, nodding his head. He understood. "I see. I think I know what you're talking about now." He offered me a small smile and climbed off his seat. "But can I offer you a word of advice, son?"

I nodded carefully, "Sure."

"Approach this carefully, but love completely. I for one don't mind if you see her, but there will be people who won't understand, including your siblings. You are the son under the name of a multi-million dollar company sought to shut down stores just like her aunts. You know she works there. Some people just won't understand. If they don't approve, love her anyway." Dad gripped my shoulder before he left the room, leaving me to my thoughts.

"Well fuck." I wasn't prepared for that. Bella and I had a lot more to contemplate than we'd first thought. We hadn't even begun to think about what the others could possibly think about our relationship if we were to have one.

But one thing remained. I was in love with Bella Swan. And I was scared fucking shitless about the prospect of losing her. I'd only just found her, I couldn't possibly lose her now.

**To Be Continued…**

_**A/N: Your fave characters have twitter accounts!! Twitter(dot)com/Romeoward Twitter(dot)com/Belliet**_

_**Follow them, I don't think Edward knows where he's going but that part of the fun I guess.**_

_**And as always, review. **_

_**-R**_


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